Someday my Prince will Come
by stagetrinity
Summary: High School is hard enough as is, but it's even harder for Helga to deal with the conflict of emotions she feels about her budding relationship with Arnold. Can a friendship built on weekends watching Disney movies actually survive the test?
1. Part of your world

**READ ME! whether youve read this chapter already or not:** _but dont drink me... this is indeed my story entitled "Just one night" =) Alright you guys! Ready for some news? I have decided to continue this story…frankly because I am enamored about where it could go…and I have a slight idea in mind about what is going to happen =) So I proudly introduce to you, my friends, my second full length feature fan fiction ;) enjoy! If you've already read the first two chapters, there is no change. I just wanted to give a more appropriate title_

Hey you guys =) this is sort of a follow up piece to "for the love of poetry", but it works just as well on it's own. (read the other one if you haven't, *cough cough* . ) Anywho, Just thought I'd give the fluff here…some closure! It shall have two chapters =)

And don't forget, coming soon , the next chapter of "Give it the Ol College try!" coming soon to an internet near you =)

And, DEDICATION! Tooooo the amazing Thundercatroar…who rocks! Did I mention the amazingness ? =p you should totally read her stuff. Oh yes.

Also, none of these people are mine ._. Because if they were, I'd have them entertain me nonstop. Except Pizza face. she is mine, But i dont want her =p

(NOTE: I went back and tried to fix the large number of typos =) Lemme know if you spot anymore)

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**_"You're not getting cold fins now, are you?"—Ariel; The Little Mermaid_**

It could make her or break her, she knew that. If anyone…anyone at all…happened to run into her; she had no excuse really. She just needed to get the goods and get out, no strings attached. It was her reputation here, and she couldn't let it get tarnished by this. No one must know.

Helga glanced down at the movies in her hand as she stood close to the DVD rack, the aisle mostly empty due to the late hour. She couldn't resist, no matter how hard she tried. Helga G. Pataki, badass extraordinaire, miss kick your butt in three seconds flat, was going to take the plunge and purchase _Beauty and the Beast_ and _The Little Mermaid._ Sure, sure, they were the old Disney, but these were her two favorites. She always sympathized with the beast, he and his harsh looks and attitude, but hoping the one he loves will love him back despite the rough edges. And Ariel…well gosh, Helga knew exactly what it was like to long to have someone you cant, and to be unable to tell that someone how you felt.…it tugged her heartstrings every time. It was Disney gold! Of course, it wasn't like she kept up with Disney or anything, no, never!

Helga hastily snatched some DVD with a very actiony cover that had no hint of her sappy romantic feelings and put it on the top of the stack. It didn't look that bad, she'd probably watch it sometime later if she remembered about it.

The girl hastily made her way to the front counter of the store, skidding to a halt in the only available line. She felt her heart speed up as she recognized the head in front of her: Arnold. Helga took a deep breath, reveling in the scent of his shampoo, conflicting on whether she wanted him to turn around. Maybe he would see the movies in her hand and immediately see her for the vulnerable, passionate, loving seventeen year old girl she was! Or he'd just think she was a freak who sat at home on the weekends watching little kid movies alone. She quickly slapped herself back into reality, wishing they'd move up and he'd check out and go without noticing her.

She watched as Arnold unloaded all his groceries, the pizza faced girl with the gum taking her sweet time about getting all his essentials tossed into bags. She waited a minute.

"Thirty-seven sixty-two," the girl said matter-of-factly.

Helga watched as the object of her desire counted at exactly thirty-seven fifty. "I'm sorry, but I'm a dime and two pennies short…"

"Then put something back."

Arnold's eyes flicked with surprise as he pressed, "Couldn't you please cover it for me? I promise next time I come here I'll be sure to pay it back."

"Yeah, and the answer is no. Look kid, go put back some of the pills you got stacked up," the girl snapped, eyeing him suspiciously as she pointed to the medicines in one of the bags.

"They're for my grandparents, I can't do that!" Arnold pleaded.

"Here." Helga laid a quarter on the counter harshly. "You can keep the other thirteen cents for the next person who needs it."

The girl at the counter snarled as she deposited the tarnished quarter in the cash register.

"You know, on second thought, you should probably take that extra thirteen cents and put in a fund for yourself which I highly recommend you use to pay for the cost of the surgery you need to get your head out of your ass," Helga continued, glaring at the girl darkly from across the counter, Arnold momentarily forgotten. "Capice?"

"You didn't have to so that," Arnold commented from beside her, looking down embarrassedly.

"Oh yes I did, football head," she snapped, roughly slamming her movies on the counter and scanning them before the pizza girl could even touch them, much less see them. The blonde tossed them in a bag, pushed a fifty dollar bill and the girl while once again advising her to keep the three dollars for her surgery. She then snatched up Arnold's bags two and began to stalk out the door, her shoes thudding on the hard tile as she stomped to the door.

"Well get over here and show me where you parked!" she snapped.

Arnold nodded, dumbfounded, then ran over to hold the door as Helga stomped out.

"I can get my bags, Helga," he assured her, reaching down to retrieve it from her stony grasp. She gasped at the warmth his hand had as he gently moved her fingers and slid the bags handle into his hand. "You didn't need to do that," he said again.

Helga snorted, leaning against the wall of the building. "It was nothing , Arnoldo. I would've done it for anybody."

"I know you would've," the green eyed boy replied with a laugh. "Thank you, though."

"It's no problem."

"You got DVDs?"

Helga felt herself flush, hoping he couldn't see it in the dimmed light of the night. "How'd you-?"

"I saw you scan them?" he replied, cocking his head the side, giving her a confused, yet adorable look.

"Oh, ha ha! Thoooooose, yeaaaah," Helga said with a gruff laugh, tossing her hand casually. "Just some action movies to watch tonight, you know? I spend my Fridays watching the gore!"

"_Beauty an the Beast _isn't that gory, and neither is _The Little Mermaid_," Arnold replied with a sly smile. "But maybe that last one you got was."

Helga felt her face blaze. "I..you! How?"

"I'm observant…"

"Don't you tell anybody, football head!" she snarled, jerking him down to her face by his collar. "If I find out-!"

"Hey, it suits you!" Arnold explained, once again prying her fingers from his shirt.

"What?"

"I've told you before you're not as mean as you try to make yourself seem. It's no surprise you have a soft spot for Disney movies and happily ever afters," he said with a sincere tone. "No matter what you want people to think."

Helga frowned as she clutched her bag to her chest. "Oh whatever football head," she snapped, looking down. She jumped as a peal of thunder rumbled across the shy.

"Looks like rain," Arnold stated.

"Oh really? Cause I was thinking it was more like heavy metal night in Heaven." She rolled her eyes. "Criminy, mister state the obvious!"

Arnold chucked from beside her, smoothing out the front of his green plaid shirt where Helga had rumpled it. She noted it matched his eyes beautifully.

"So do you, I dunno, maybe wanna come by the house?"

Helga's mouth fell open as she stammered, "What for this time? I am so not doing your homework again!"

"No, it's not like that. I mean, thanks to you I did get and A on my poem," he said as he looked her eyes. "And you just chipped in to help me get my grandparents medicine. I figure it's the least I can do."

"Oh, so you're saying I don't do anything on Friday nights and it's pity?" Helga snarled, tossing a long pigtail over her shoulder in defiance. "Because I'll have you know, football head, that I thoroughly enjoy-"

"Oh, stop being defensive and come on," Arnold said with a roll of his eyes. "Do you have anything to do tonight?"

"Well, no, but-"

"So wouldn't you just spend this night with me?" he asked.

Helga looked into his eyes, feeling herself beginning to flounder. "I, uh, sure!" she gasped, her body flaring all over at his words. "I mean, if that's what floats your boat."

Arnold smiled, looking out over the parking lot as the first small sprinkles of rain began to make impact on the pavement. "You need a ride?"

Helga nodded dumbly, clutching her movies to her chest as they made their way across the pavement. Arnold opened the passenger door of his old truck, giving the door a stern jerk to make sure it opened. Helga jumped in, slamming the door before he could.

"You really should just trash this," she muttered as Arnold jumped in the driver's seat and started the engine.

"Naah, I'm saving up money to get it fixed."

"Oh come on! By the time you get enough money to fix this crap heap you would've been better off getting a new car," she mused, observing the broken glove compartment dangling in front of her.

"I know where I can get some parts cheap and I've got autos as an elective this year so I'm hoping if I bring it into class I can get some work done for free," Arnold explained, taking a left at the stop sign.

Hillwood had expanded, but only slightly. Old empty buildings now held stores, and most of the potholes had been filled with more than just boards. Helga peered out at teenagers strolling the streets on a Friday night, at the couples and the friends. She couldn't call either situation hers. She rarely got to see Phoebe outside of school, and Helga casually made up excuses to turn her down whenever the little Asian girl made an invite. She knew Phoebe would rather spend the time with her now boyfriend of two months than with her, really.

"I don't get to see Gerald much anymore either," Arnold commented as if he could read her thoughts.

"Well they're happy, ya know? I can live with that," Helga replied, tearing her gaze from the window. "So what're we gonna do?"

"I figured we could watch a movie?" Arnold suggested.

The blonde felt herself blush as she peered down at the movies in her hand. "Such as?"

"Well it's been awhile since I watched Disney," he mused aloud with a thoughtful smile as he parked his truck in front of the boarding house.

"Har har."

"I'm serious!"

Helga frowned as she slammed the door open, jumping down to the sidewalk and beginning to stomp off.

"I am!" Arnold called, running ahead of her. He grabbed her shoulders. "We can be fourth graders again?"

"Criminy! Some kids never grow up," Helga replied.

"Said the skinny girl with pigtails," Arnold teased, tugging the end of one of her long pigtails. Helga couldn't stop herself from laughing. "There we go!"

"Alright Arnoldo, I give in! Let's go watch us a kids movie!"

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Look for chapter two coming soon! =)


	2. A whole new world

_A/N: Dec 29, 2012. I'm going back and doing a bit of editing on the chapters up until the most trying to correct typos and sentence structure. No big changes, but every chapter that I edit with have a little note added to the top! So if you're a new reader, or a re-reader, I'm trying to make it better for you!_

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_"Oh, Al. I'm gettin' kinda fond of you, kid. Not that I wanna pick out curtains or anything." Genie, Aladdin_

"Which one?" Arnold asked as he sat on the floor in front of the television, holding two DVDs in his hands, scanning the backs of both. "I haven't seen either in ages, it seems."

"I don't know," Helga replied from her upside down position on the bed, her sloppy pigtails making two golden pools as they collided with the carpet. She rolled over suddenly, leaning on her fists as she watched her boy staring at both DVDs with a determined expression evident on his face. How she would have loved to take a picture of him that way and frame it forever in my mind to pull up whenever she desired.

"Hey!" she chirped, suddenly, pushing herself halfway up. "Is that Aladdin?"

Arnold jerked his up suddenly, his knuckles whitening as he clutched the DVDs. "W..what?"

Helga loped across the room and crouched next to Arnold, reaching onto the bottom shelf of the bookcase. Her slender fingers enclosed on a slim DVD case that was cleverly squeezed between two books so as to draw the least amount of attention to it.

"So…you haven't watched Disney in ages?" she teased. "This hasn't been on DVD a dreadfully long time."

She watched as Arnold proceeded to turn into a tomato. She raised an eyebrow as she stretched out next to him, holding the DVD in her hand and twirling it around. "Not a bad choice, I do like Aladdin."

"I…it's a good one!" the boy exploded suddenly, gesturing wildly at the DVD in her hands. "Classic."

"All Disney movies are classics, football head," she said with a chuckle.

There was a moment of silence as the two teens trained their rapt attention on the glittering DVD case.

"Wanna watch Aladdin?" Arnold suggested sheepishly, looking at his hands intently.

Helga smiled in spite of herself. "I'd like that."

Arnold gave her a large smile as he ran his fingers through his blonde mess of hair. "Awesome." He extracted the case from her hand and popped it open, placing the disk in the DVD player located on top of the larger tv he had acquired since his freshman year.

"You want popcorn?" he suggested suddenly as the previews began to flash.

"Do you want popcorn?"

"I want it if you want it."

"It's your house, your popcorn. You pick."

"You're the guest!"

"For gosh sakes just make some freakin popcorn!" Helga cried, holding in laughter as Arnold blinked in surprise. "Well, up and at 'em Arnoldo! I don't see any microwave up here!"

Arnold laughed, and Helga smiled in response. They crashed their way downstairs like two rambunctious elephants, stomping loudly and jostling as if a race.

"Well gee, don't forget to break anything!" Phil called from the kitchen. Arnold and Helga paused in the den, and Helga twisted one of her pigtails nervously.

"Sorry grandpa," Arnold called with a grin.

Helga followed Arnold cautiously into the kitchen, trying not to make eye contact with Phil. It'd been a little while since they had last seen each other. But what is there to say, really, when your love's grandpa catches you tearing down the fire escape or when you crash through the roof onto the kitchen table. She gave a weak smile.

"You kids have fun now! Don't touch the cobbler in the fridge, thing goes straight through you!" Phil instructed as he grabbed a glass of milk and said cobbler and proceeded down the hall.

"What kind of popcorn ya'll got?" Helga inquired as she leaned against the fridge, arms crossed, as Arnold stretched to get a glass contraption from the top of the fridge.

"We have air popped stuff," Arnold explained, sitting the machine on the cabinet and plugging it in. "Grandma doesn't like the microwave kind. She says she will only eat the' magic' kind." He gestured.

"Which is air popped?" Helga said with a laugh as she watched Arnold shake the kernels in.

"It's takes a little longer, but it's usually worth the wait," he assured her.

"Most things are," Helga agreed as she watched the young man grab glasses from the cabinets and filled them with soda.

He turned and extended a glass to her and she took it with a shrug, taking a sip.

POP!

They both directed their attention to the glass as a white explosion was beginning to take place.

"Ever thought about if it snowed popcorn?" Arnold mused as they watched the flurry of kernels.

"Honestly, no." Helga then chuckled. "But imagine trying to go sledding in that."

Arnold laughed in response. "I don't even want to try."

He handed Helga a large class bowl and he emptied the corn.

"Still I think he's rather tasty," sang in a nasal sounding voice as she tossed a piece of popcorn in her mouth and chomped. "And indeed, he is."

Arnold gave her a strange look before climbing the stairs into his room.

In a matter of moments the two were seated comfortably on his flip sofa with two cups of soda on the floor and a large bowl of popcorn between, singing along as Aladdin ran from through the market place.

"It's nice to have someone to watch this with," Arnold said sincerely as he grabbed some kernels. "I mean, I can't exactly watch this with Gerald. That's not guy protocol, you know? It's kinda, ya know…"

"Happy?" Helga replied tactfully as she looked up at him from her upside down position on the couch with her pigtails once again pooling on the floor.

"Yeah," the boy replied with a pleasant laugh.

"I understand, Arnoldo," she replied, gazing at him._ I'm elated you chose me to share it with, though. _"Plus, you can't really hold a tune."

Arnold playfully tossed a handful of popcorn at her head. "I didn't see you doing much better."

Helga stuck her tongue out as she picked one of the puffs out of her hair and popped it into her mouth.

They watched the movie in a comfortable silence for a while, a sense of contentment that was evident but unspoken.

Helga couldn't erase the smile on her face as she thought about it. They were spending time together, alone, and there weren't any walls this time. No pressure to it. No overlying reason. Just together as friends. And even now, if that got her time with him that was voluntary, then she'd take the slight edge of heartbreak that accompanied 'only friends.'

She felt herself freeze as Arnold's fingers brushed lightly against her stomach. Her gaze immediately rushed to his hand, but all she saw was him tossing one of the steaming kernels into his mouth. The girl assumed he had just dropped a piece and it had landed accidentally on her stomach, after all, the bowl was right next to her. But she refused to believe the contact was imaginary.

"Tell me princess, now when did you last let your heart decide?" she heard him sing in a whisper, and it sent tiny shivers down her spine. Helga pushed herself up suddenly and righted herself. She moved the almost empty bowl to the floor and took a deep breath.

"You okay?" Arnold asked, cocking his head as he looked at her. "You comfortable?"

Helga nodded, peering down at the couch. She could do it…she could. It was be really simple, and not totally something that would freak him out. She could do it.

Helga let out a slightly exaggerated yawn before turning sideways and stretching her long legs on the little red sofa. She glanced at him, his expression locked on the movie. She sat for a moment before rolling halfway on her side, propping her torso up on her arms. She scooted over the few inches that separated her from Arnold and almost felt herself burst into flames from the heat she was feeling as she laid her head on his shoulder.

She felt him shift a bit before he teased "Comfortable yet?"

"Almost," she tried to say without squeaking. "I'm a big girl and this is tiny couch."

"I think the correct term is you're just a tall girl. But I'm taller." He scooted over more to the side of the couch and gently placed his arm around her shoulder and pulled the shocked blond over to his side before placing his arm up on the back of the couch so she would have a comfortable place to rest her head.

"Better?"

The girl could only manage to nod.

The fireworks the couple watched on the screen couldn't hold a candle to the explosion of feelings that were going off inside of Helga as she leaned against Arnold.

"We should do this every Friday," he mused aloud.

"What if have a Friday's booked, football head?"

"You don't."

"You don't know!"

"Whatever you say, Helga," the boy said with a knowing smile.


	3. Just Around the Riverbend

_edited 12/29/12_

Hey Everyone =) I'm back. Sorry if it's not fantastic, but I haven't written in a while. Hope you still enjoy, though!

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving =]

Making this fast, welcome new chappie =)

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_"Change is nature. The part we can influence. And it all starts when we decide." ~Ratatouille_

The air was particularly bracing as the students milled their way into the relatively new public high school. Small delicate flakes flitted around the many faces, melting gently against cheeks and outstretched tongues as the youth continued to scramble up the steps and escape the cold.

Toward the back of the group stood two lanky blonde teens, each having the same posture of shoulders hunched and hands shoved deep down in jacket pockets. The boy shook his head, causing his own mini shower of snowflakes to tumble out.

"I wish I was still in bed," he moaned, watching his crystallized breath float up into the air.

The girl chuckled at his shocked expression that it actually froze. "Your bed is filthy and I don't think it's a suitable retreat from the cold," she teased.

"Psh, you fell asleep there the other day," he retorted with a joking smile.

"I had to go wash popcorn out of my hair later!"

Arnold gave a sarcastic laugh as he playfully knocked shoulders with Helga as they finally made their way through the crowded doorway. As they had decided, the two had taken to spending most of their free Fridays together that they could, and they always spent them at Arnold's. They had put a relatively large dent in the Disney movie vault with their watching.

"My bed isn't that dirty and if you didn't yell at the screen the popcorn wouldn't fall out of your mouth," he explained casually as he worked the combination on his locker.

Helga snorted as she opened her own locker and rummaged for her calculus book in the mess. She snatched it out and spun to face Arnold and proceeded to defiantly toss her ponytail over her shoulder before saying, "Well!" She then stretched to her full height and opened her mouth as she tried to get a suitable retort.

Arnold's green eyes flickered in amusement as Helga tried to stammer out a response. He shushed her with a finger. "It's my tally mark today."

"Hey, no!" Helga began to protest.

The boy simply shook his head as he passed her and made his way down the hallway, holding up a finger to show he got a tally mark for winning before disappearing into his classroom.

Helga sighed as she leaned back against the locker, clutching her math book to her chest. Her heart was pounding and she felt positive the remaining students in the hallway could hear it playing the drums on her ribcage. "Steady old girl, steady," she warned herself. "He only sees it as friendship. Friend-ship."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that."

Helga felt herself stiffen as she heard a locker slam casually on the next set down the hall. She was well acquainted with the voice of no other than Rhonda Wellington Lloyd. Helga tried to restrain her lips from tugging down as she heard the click of designer heeled boots heading toward her.

"Morning Helga, dear."

"Hi Rhonda," she responded, straightening herself and nodding. "I've gotta get to class."

"We share first block. Let's walk," Rhonda said silkily, gesturing with her slender, manicured fingers down the empty white halls flickering with strands of Christmas lights.

"Nice weather," Helga commented with mock cheerfulness, hearing her trademark combat boots slapping heavily against the linoleum as she sped up. This was not any conversation she was not wanting to have right now, and especially not with Rhonda, of all people.

The raven haired girl tossed her salon shampooed locks over her shoulder. "Look, I'm not going to beat around the bush. The girls and I want to know the scoop on you and Arnold. And details girl, I want the sprinkles on this scoop."

Helga swallowed her heart back down her throat. "We're just friends."

"Friends don't spend every Friday night together, and you can't disguise your glow," Rhonda said with a knowing smile. She tapped a finger to her forehead. "I'm excellent at reading signals."

"Oh come on Rhonda," Helga with a roll of her blue eyes. "It's cold outside and everyone knows that causes blood to rush to the checks which causes a rosy glow. Wait, except you obviously. If you'd spend time paying attention in biology instead of reading magazines, you might know that." She frowned darkly as she pushed open the door to her math class just as the bell shattered down the hallway. And the day had been going so well.

"Hey Helga," Arnold started as he slid next to her at the lunch table across from Phoebe and Gerald. "Why the long face? What's wrong with my best girl- oh hey!" he said urgently, thumping her on the back as she choked on her cola.

She waved him off with her hand. "I'm fine," she choked. "Went down the wrong way." She could feel her heart thumping as she remembered what Rhonda had accused earlier. The blonde took a deep gasping breath, scolding herself for wearing her emotions out so openly and reacting to a little meaningless statement. She knew better than to let Rhonda get to her. "It's nothing, Arnold-o," she tried to say in a teasing manner. "Just tired today."

"You sure?" he asked as he dug his fork into the spaghetti like substance on his lunch tray, stretching it out. He dug it back in and released it only to have the fork standing straight up.

"I wouldn't eat that, man," Gerald instructed as he took a sip of his protein shake. "It's look a little questionable."

"A little?" Arnold said with a skeptical look.

"Not the consistency of even remotely edible or healthy pasta," Phoebe agreed with a nod.

"Well I find your protein shake to be nasty and… powerdy," Arnold teased back, shrugging. "But yeah, I'm not eating that." He pushed the red tray to the middle of the table and jokingly plucked Helga's cola from her hand and took a sip. "So what's a weekend plan, Super G?"

Helga managed to laugh at her recently acquired nickname that spawned from her extreme strength and her need to always stress the "G" before Pataki. Only Arnold was ever allowed to call her such, though.

"I haven't got one yet," she responded, taking a sip of the shared cola, ecstatic over the tiny Arnold lip particles. "I'll get back to you."

"I've got one," he said somewhat hesitantly.

"Let's hear it."

"I'll talk to you about it later," he said, taking a sudden interest in his fingernails. "Be right back." He quickly grabbed his tray and started toward the garbage cans.

A small moment of awkward silence floated around the table.

"Tell me no one else finds this weird!" Helga demanded suddenly, banging her fists on the table as she glared at the couple across from her. "I mean hell! You guys, of all, people should've had the decency to tell me! Especially you, Pheebs!"

Gerald raised an eyebrow as Phoebe cocked her head to the side.

"Oh come one!" Helga pleaded, her eyes wide with questions. She frowned. "I know you know what Rhonda has been saying…" she said as she sat heavily with a sigh, cradling her head in her hands. "I don't want to be the center of attention…not for this," Helga moaned.

Phoebe's face took a moment to register with understanding, and she quickly nudged Gerald. After a moment the boy's eyes widened in realization, his mouth forming a long O.

"Well," Phoebe explained, clasping her petite hands together and shaking them before proceeding to rub the back of her neck. "We had heard, you could say-"

"About what people are saying about you and Arnold," Gerald chimed in as he ran a large hand over his short cut hair.

"But!" Phoebe said quickly, "We assumed, I mean, since we knew…in the beginning.."

Helga raised an eyebrow, frowning.

"What she is saying is, well, we knew when you two started this whole Friday movie thing it was because of…well, us, partially-"

"But I knew Helga, about um.. Ice cream," Phoebe explained sheepishly.

"You told skint head!?" Helga hissed, blue eyes flashing as she jumped up, her fists clenched. "Phoebe!"

"Hey!" Gerald responded as he put a protective arm around Phoebe, "I kind of got a feeling when you didn't reject my boy when he asked you. Your reputation made me think you would've. But when you didn't, I kind of assumed. And the fact you two kept seeing each other-"

"Just as friends!" Helga defended. She gave a trademark snort.

"After two months you can't say it's all in friendship, especially if it carries over to the school. The boys seventeen Helga, we're dudes. I'm not saying he wants to…uh…'get Jiggy' with you, buy I can't guarantee he will keep settling for a friendship level."

Helga leaned on her arm, glaring at Gerald. "But I'm Helga G. Pataki!"

"And I'm Gerald," he said sarcastically. "But you can't tell me you'd turn him down."

"I would." She growled as she kicked her chair back and stomped through the cafeteria, leaving her two friends in confusion.

"Move," she snapped at the quivering freshmen that were congregating in front of the door. It took only a matter of seconds for them to disappear clear across the cafeteria.

She tried to control her breathing as she stomped heavily down the hallway, shirking out of her jacket as she realized how warm she was suddenly feeling. The blond quickly disappeared into the bathroom, ripping the ponytail holder from her hair and letting the long blonde locks cascade around her face and hide her eyes and the slow teardrops that were forcing their way out. She held in a sob as she gripped the edges of the sink in dear life, not daring to look in the mirror. She couldn't understand why the thought of Arnold perhaps having feelings for her was suddenly feeling her with dread. Why what she had always wanted seemed like hell now.

She took a quick peek in the mirror. "No," she whispered suddenly. "I know why. I don't deserve Arnold. I just can't hurt him through this."


	4. Just keep swimming

_ edited 12/29/12_

Sorry about the last chapter =p anywho, I decided that instead of saving this chapter to post on a later date, I'd post today. That way, two fast posts might make up for my long streak of no updates =) enjoy

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_"It's because I like you, I don't want to be with you. It's a complicated emotion."-Finding Nemo_

It was getting extremely hard to concentrate in her English class as Mr. Michael continued to preach on and on about _The Glass Menagerie_. Usually she had a love for her honors literature class, but today she was just ready to get home and stop hearing about the young girl who had squandered her life away pining for her High School crush. And of course, it wouldn't be a story without mentioned the crush in questioned liked the girl back, but moved on because she never confessed her love. With a sneer, she decided that she had an extreme dislike for this play now.

When the bell finally rang the girl let out a sigh of relief, shoving the book into her messenger bag and hurrying to her locker. She fumbled with her combination as she rushed to get it open. The girl tensed suddenly as she felt a familiar weight on her shoulder.

"Hey Super G, what happened to you today?" he asked, slowly letting his hand fall from her shoulder as she snatched opened the locker and unmethodically shoved some of the books in her bag.

"It's nothing," the blonde responded shakily. "I just want to get home today. That's all." She closed the locker with a halfhearted bang.

"You let your hair down…"

Helga shrugged, not turning to face him as she started down the hall. "What of it, football head?" She took a deep breath to qualm her quivering voice.

There was a pause in the footsteps behind her, but they soon picked up as he took a few loping steps to regain his walking position beside her. "Nothing? It's just nice. So where'd you go at lunch?" he asked with a hint of concern. "Phoebe said you weren't feeling well."

"That's one way to put it," the girl said with a scoff. She took a sharp intake of breath as the wind from outside attacked her from the open door. "Like I said, I wanna go home." She took the steps two at a time, quickly making her way out the crowd and toward the empty, snow covered sidewalk. There was no way she was going to risk looking back and seeing his face. The face she knew must be contorted in some sort of surprised hurt. She had purposely kept her tone of voice as bracing as the cold air. It would be a clean break. She had told herself that all day. All it would take was a simple reversion to old times. Simple….right.

Helga balked as Arnold quickly appeared in front of her, his now strong hands grabbing her shoulder.

"Helga, did someone hurt you?"

She shook her head, a small laugh escaping at the irony of the comment.

"I'm serious," he said roughly, his warm fingers swiftly brushing the hair from in front of her face. "You've been crying," he breathed, his eyes widening as he took in her puffy eyed appearance.

A blush flared across her cheeks. "Like I've said repeatedly since the beginning of this conversation, I just want to go home," the girl snarled as she jerked her head from his deliciously warm fingers. "So if you would." The blue eyed girl gave a sarcastic smile and easily sidestepped his skinny frame, continuing to press on down the sidewalk, clutching her bag to her side.

"I…don't understand," Arnold called from behind her. She let out a heavy sigh as she heard the snow crunching as he once again used his long legs to overtake her.

"Can you please just talk to me?' he pleaded, his green eyes making Helga cave a little inside. They looked so confused and sad. She knew she couldn't just cause her cornflower boy an unexplained heartache.

"Footba- I mean, Arnold, look, I just don't think this is a good idea. People are talking about it…and I don't think it's a good idea, you know." She paused, letting out an aggravated sigh as she just stood there, her long arms falling heavily to her sides. "I don't want that," she lied, fidgeting.

"But I thought…I mean, I heard it was supposed to be really good. And I thought-"

"Wait, what?" Helga tossed her hair back over her shoulder. "From who?"

"Well the reviews for one." The boy blinked.

Helga raised an eyebrow as she crossed her arms across her black sweater clad chest, shifting her weight to one leg as she waited for an explanation.

"We aren't on anything near the same page, are we?" he said as she flashed an adorable smile.

"Obviously not."

"I wanted to see if you wanted to go out to a movie this Friday, instead of staying in and watching a movie."

"Excuse me?" she gasped, her arms drooping a little. "Go out?"

"Well I wanted to ask you last Friday," he explained, running his long fingers through his hair. "But I didn't think you'd be so keen to go on opening day because I know how protective you are about your reputation." He gave another crooked smile.

Helga turned her head away slightly, reaching out and tugging the strap of her bag as it adventured down her arm. "What movie?" she found herself saying in spite of herself.

"Well, the new Disney one of course," he murmured, rubbing his arm nervously. "I mean, how often does a good old animated Disney movie come to theaters?"

There was an awkward silence as the two stood, shifting nervously as the idea of an implied 'date' lingered, even though neither one of them had come close to mentioning the word aloud.

Finally Arnold broke the silence, giving a shaky laugh, "You're right, it was a stupid idea. I just thought-"

"No, it's not a stupid idea," Helga responded quickly, stopping herself from reaching out and touching the arm he was basically sanding of with his other hand.

"So you want to go?' he asked, his face washing with relief. "We'd have to leave a little early to get to the theater, but I-"

"I...I can't go, though," the girl blurted out, looking away quickly.

"Oh…well we could always go Saturday if you're busy Friday. It's not a problem."

"No, I mean, I'm going to be busy all weekend. I've got this paper to write and lots of math work this weekend. It's just a load."

"I could always help you!"

"You wouldn't be any help."

"Well I could try," he assured her. "We could have it done it plenty of time to go."

"Why are you pushing this?" she snapped, jerking her bag up her arm again as she once again took up her walking.

"I…I just thought….I mean, that you might want to go out one night," he explained, causing her to pause briefly. "With me."

She closed her eyes tightly to stop the tears that were trying to rush out for the second time that day. She never thought she would ever say what she was about to.

"If you're trying to ask me on a date, you're just wasting your time."

She felt her heart protesting inside of her, begging for just once chance. But her brain protested just as hard, warning her that she was only setting the stage for disappointment. After such a kind and caring boy as he was tried to pursue any sort of romantic relationship with a girl like she was, he would turn and run. She knew on the inside she was too shy and meticulous to not turn out to be too overprotective and overbearing. No reason to put him through that.

She heard him cough nervously from behind her. "I'm sorry if I made you upset," he explained, his voice rough. "That wasn't what I intended. I also know it's probably a lost cause at this point to ask you what made you cry today."

She tossed her hair as she started her walking again, the snow crunch sounding like her heart was feeling.

"But Helga!" he continued, his voice soft and concerned. "You know where to find me if you need me. It's never any trouble if you just want to talk."

She threw her hand up as she waved goodbye, turning the corner where she promptly sunk down against the corner of the building and buried her head in her hands.

After a moment, she pulled a tiny gold chain from around her neck and produced a tiny heart locket from under her sweater. She popped it open like she had so many times before to reveal a tiny picture of her and Arnold taking a classic 'bunny ears' photo they had gotten one night in a photo booth at the pizza parlor as they waited for their order to be done. That had been the night they watched Tarzan and had pretended to make shocked and astonished faces as they ate, looking as if they had never tasted pizza before. Arnold had won for having the 'face most likely to be Tarzan's after trying pizza.'

"Helga old girl, I know we're no expert on relationships, but we know enough to know they end in heartbreak. Just look at Miriam and Bob, Olga and that buttface whose name I don't care to remember. He had had a girl on the side! No reason to go through that."

She gave the chain a strong jerk, listening as it got a satisfying pop! The blonde frowned a she hurled it to the ground and pushed herself up and stomped down the sidewalk. It took only a few moments for her to run back and quickly scoop the locket back up and shove into her bag before turning and running toward home.


	5. Out There

_edited 12/29/12_

Howdy doody =) Hope you enjoy the chapter =)

I dont own Hey Arnold! but I wish I did =) For everyone who reviewed angrily to Helga, rest assured it will be a happy ending =)

* * *

_"Take it from an old spectator. Life's not a spectator sport. If watchin' is all you're gonna do, then you're gonna watch your life go by without ya."-The Hunchback of Notre Dame_

Helga moaned pitifully as she rolled over and smashed the snooze button on her alarm clock, silencing the soft song that had begun some minute or so ago. With a groggy blink, the blonde pushed herself into a sitting position where she proceeded to rub her droopy eyes. Even though her vision was somewhat still blurry, she managed to read a five thirty a.m greeting her brightly from the night stand. Another moan escaped her throat and she could feel a tiny headache evolving as she swung her long legs off the side of her bed.

She'd come straight home after her conversation with Arnold and immediately proceeded to lock herself in her bedroom. It was a useless act really, it wasn't like anyone in the house cared enough to come check on her much less check the door if they even went that far. The girl frowned, remembering the previous day.

She had spent a good thirty minutes just screaming bloody murder into her pillows as she buried her face in them and trudged heavy circles on the cold wood floor. When she finally found herself too hoarse to continue with the screaming, she proceeded to throw the accursed pillow onto the lonely stool by the window and spent a good while just punching it until she fell to her knees with tiny tears leaking onto her flushed cheeks. With a shaking gasp Helga had grasped the pillow in her tired fingers and brought it to the floor where she soon had fallen asleep. She wasn't sure at what point she had drug herself onto the bed.

"Huh?" she muttered, aroused from her thoughts as her phone began to vibrate in tiny circles on her desk across the room that had pretty much remained the same since elementary school. She had acquired an old desktop computer on the desk where the phone was at, and somehow she had managed to get the huge, somewhat chipped, bookcase home from Goodwill without too much mishap. Her bed, however, was its ever constant pink with ruffles, and her walls the same color as always. It was stagnant, like she was. Like it, too, was afraid to have to change.

After a moment of adjusting to the dark, she listened to the soft pad of her feet across the carpet as she made her way over to the desk. She flipped the phone open only to see that she had at least twenty new text messages from Arnold, Gerald, and Phoebe. Gerald and Phoebe each had the same point that basically translated into 'What the hell were you thinking!?' where as Arnold's messages were constant apologies and messages asking if she was alright. The latest had been send just then.

_"Hey Helga. I know it's probably ridiculous, the amount of messages I've sent. But I wish you would acknowledge my apologies at least…something. Anything. Please. I feel horrible."_

She took a deep breath and placed the phone back down on the vanity. She didn't trust herself to reply. She could see her reflection in the mirror with help from the tiny nightlight plugged by the door. It was obvious how bad she felt. Her eyes were swollen red puffs, her hair a rats nest and then some from her tossing and turning. It made her wish she had an excuse to not go to school today, but obviously that would only make things worse. She didn't want to seem like she was avoiding him. After a moment she snatched the phone up.

_"Pheebs. Meet me at the donut shop in fifteen?"_

It took all of five seconds for Phoebe to respond with a simple _'OK'._

The girl released another sigh that was a mix of sadness and annoyance before she grabbed up the brush from her vanity and proceeded to fight the blonde battlefield. It was typical of Phoebe to be up so early, doing her morning stretches and whatever it was that meticulous school girls do. It's not like Helga would know. She rarely made it out of bed in the mornings with ten minutes to spare.

"I don't know why I keep doing this to myself," she muttered as she threw the brush down on the vanity and proceeded to pull her long hair into to frizzy pigtails. Her jeans and shirts were discarded in a few seconds and soon in their place were a pair of cargo pants and oversized, plain, navy blue sweater. Her combat boots slid on easily as always, signaling she was done getting ready for the day. The girl tossed her hair over her shoulders as she grabbed up her bag and trudged down the stairs.

"Later Miriam," the girl muttered as she gave a halfhearted wave to the woman who was slumped across the kitchen table, snoring gently beside a coffee mug. The teen let out a sigh, grabbing her discarded coat from the day before, then made her way out into the cold street.

Helga braced as the air bit at her cheeks and exposed ears, whipping her frizzed hair against the back of her neck. She shivered lightly, shoving her hands in her pockets like so many do to protect them from the chill. She couldn't quite puzzle out why she kept doing this to herself. Why she always played the bag guy in situations, tormenting Arnold when things got too close to home.

"You think I would learn," she moaned, listening to the solitary crushing of her feet as she turned the corner. There were very few people out this early, usually, but she nodded at Ms. Vitello as the older woman passed on the other side of the street. "It's all the time!" she continued. "And criminy! Isn't this what I always dreamed of? Arnold finally returning the feelings I have harbored for him for so long, my beloved boy," Helga muttered wistfully to herself, casting her blue eyes up at the murky grey morning sky. "He's my northern star to lead me home, and I, the weary traveler, find myself constantly blinded by these evening clouds of despair." She paused briefly. "Oh, that's a good start. I need to remember to write that down later."

She made the snowy trek through the next few blocks in silence, mustering a half a smile as she saw Phoebe standing alert outside the donut shop in her long blue coat and snow boots. The raven haired girl smiled and waved from her position by the door.

"I was glad to get your text this morning," she blurted out as Helga held open the door. "I was worried about you."

"Eh," Helga shrugged apologetically as they slid into one of the small booths against one of the foggy windows. The smell of donuts and coffee descended on them almost immediately. "It's just-" she began, but stopped just as suddenly, frowning as she leaned on her fist.

Phoebe nodded. "I know how you are Helga. I hoped, though, that the level of friendship you two had acquired would help quell your fears on the subject, though." She smiled comfortingly as Helga snorted. "I should've known better, right?"

Helga rolled her blue eyes, sliding out of her seat and marching to the counter where she ordered four chocolate donuts along with a chocolate milk and coffee. She slid the tray on the table, tearing off a large hunk of donut in mouth as she snarled, "I don't understand what makes me such a spaz! Hell!" She took a large swig of milk.

Phoebe sighed as she tried to hide her smile while she took a sip of the coffee Helga had bought, observing her friend's chocolate covered mouth and the milk dribbling out of the corners. She worried about Helga these days; partially due to the fact of how little the two saw each other. Sure, they had about two classes together and always shared lunch, but you can't have heart to heart talks during class time or with Arnold and Gerald around. Phoebe had found herself extremely elated over the fact the Arnold and Helga had been spending so much time together, and she had had high hopes that Arnold would help to dissolve Helga's wall of pretend meanness and give her someone she could truly confide in. She knew there was no feeling like being able to be truly honest with someone you really cared about and who felt the same way about you. Someone who could comfort you at any time you needed it in a way like no other. Phoebe had that with Gerald and she wanted Helga to have that with Arnold. She deserved someone to care about her the way she had been denied for so long.

Phoebe watched as Helga's expression melted into one of anger as she shoved another donut in her mouth, her expression hard and somewhat bitter. Phoebe sighed. It just wasn't fair that someone as kind and devoted as Helga was would be forever labeled as a scary, bitter bitch (for lack of a better word) by their peers. It also wasn't fair that she had distant parents and a perfect sister to live up to. And Phoebe knew life was never fair, but she wished Helga wouldn't get defensive when things started to lean in her favor.

"You know Pheebes," Helga mused as she finished off the milk, "I'm an idiot."

Phoebe almost couldn't hold in her laughter, it was so nonchalant and blunt how Helga had said it. "That's not true," Phoebe assured her, giving her glasses a slight nudge as the slid down the bridge of her nose. "You're just…introverted, in a way."

Helga glared.

"Well, only slightly, true. But it's a nuisance to you, I know."

"Maybe I should just eat a huge bag of pork skins before I go to sleep again."

"Helga!"

"What!?"

"You know what happened last time," Phoebe scolded in a whisper. "And that's not the way you'd want Arnold to find about it."

"Well hell, it's not like he's gonna find about it when I'm," Helga paused. "sober, I guess. I can't think of another comparison." She tossed her stray pigtail back of her shoulder and wrapped the two extra donuts in a napkin. "I don't know what else to do."

"Well, considering the way relations were going before the spat you two had was going remarkably well, I recommend you return to that manner of friendship and try to be courteous in a way that could make you're intentions forward but not in a such a way you appear, uh-"

"Like a slut?"

Helga couldn't stop herself from smiling as Patty pulled up a chair and made herself comfortable at the end of the booth.

"Hey blondie and little ninja," she teased. "You, I understand being up already, but blondie? A miracle," the girl teased as she dealt a playful punch to Helga's arm. "Sorry for interrupting but I came to get my usual and I happened to overhear and I-"

"Always have to put your two cents in, we know," Helga responded with a smirk. "Because you can't afford anything else."

Patty shook her head and smiled before she took a sip of orange juice. "On a serious note Helga, what's the deal? You know I'm always respectful of your personal life and I usually don't pry, but if it's got you out of bed early and chocolate binging, then I'm a little worried."

When Helga didn't seem too eager to explain, Phoebe sighed and said, "Well, may I?"

Helga frowned and looked away, which signaled Phoebe to go ahead.

"In a nutshell, Arnold asked Helga on a…date, per se."

"Well that's great," Patty said in slight shock. "So what's the downside?"

"I said no," Helga snapped, leaning on her fist.

Patty raised an eyebrow. "You can't be serious."

"Well I am."

"Then I sentence you three weeks at the stock for being the biggest doofus at Hillwood high."

"But-!"

Patty banged and imaginary gavel. "Case closed."

The morning was uneventful enough. The girls arrived somewhat earlier than normal so Helga was able to visit her locker before Arnold had arrived. In a slight fit of guilt, she quickly undid his combination and scribble a hasty "Good Morning Starshine" in marker on the napkin around the donuts and placed them delicately in view before slamming it shut, and, making sure no one had seen her, she darted down the hall to her almost empty classroom and slid into her seat, breathing heavily.

"Well well, this is a surprise Miss Pataki! What brings you here so early?" the woman at the desk asked, giving a pleasant smile of surprise.

"Oh, you know, the usual. House caught on fire so I just headed on to school."

The woman blinked.

"I'm kidding," Helga assured her with an eye roll before placing her head on her desk. She pulled out her binder and began to jot down her earlier thoughts as she waited for the bell to ring.

"You're my northern star to lead me home, yet I, the weary traveler,

find myself constantly blinded by these evening clouds of despair.

And these clouds are getting thicker, and I'm finding it hard to breathe now.

And even though it seems I don't follow the light or that I don't care how,

My star, please don't stop shining for me now. I'm don't see you, but

I know you're still out there."

The bell shocked her to her sense and she hastily scribbled "Geraldine" as the author before she shoved the paper she had torn out back into the binder, flipping to a new sheet to start her math notes. The girl had taken to signing her poems as Geraldine because she occasionally submitted some of her milder ones to the school newspaper for extra credit, a deal she had with her English teacher.

She didn't acknowledge anyone, and as soon as the bell rang she turned in her work and darted into the hallway, skirting people and occasionally colliding, but she made it to the next class in record time as well. She sighed as she reached into her binder to pull out her poem to reread and do some revising before she considered it worthy to be placed in her composition book of poems back home. She froze suddenly when she realized there were no loose sheets in the front pocket. With her fear rising she flipped through every page and pocket in the binder. Nothing. Not a thing. Nothing except a piece of paper floating in the full hallway with the nom de plume, Geraldine.


	6. One Jump Ahead

Hey guys ;) Hope you enjoy the chapter and be warned it's proly not what you expected, but I have it about all wrapped up except for all the...uh..'postage' to come . ANywho, as for the Disney quote, I couldnt find one that exactly suited the chapter, but I still think the one I have suits Helga ;)

* * *

"_**No, no. It's not you. She's not the easiest person to get along with..THERE'S A WALL THERE**_."~Emperors New Groove~

Helga tried to calm herself as the minutes seemed to drag by. _No one will know it's me_, she assured herself. _No one knows my middle name except..!_ She shook her head to clear her thoughts. No, what were the chances that he, of all people, would find it? Why, she had no real reason to believe he was even at school today!

Once again, a bell rang and she followed it out of the room and into the hallway, her pace slowing as she peered around the corner into the lunchroom. She spotted Phoebe and Gerald sitting together, but there was no radiant football headed boy to warm the spot next to her or her heart. She took a deep sigh before making her way to her usual seat. She sat down heavily.

"Hey Helga!" Phoebe said cheerfully as she twisted the top off of her V8. "How has your day been? Better I hope?" she asked with a hint of concern.

Helga gave a forced smile and she placed her bag in the seat the Arnold usually occupied. "Could be better. Always could be better." She glanced over at the empty seat. "Soo-"

"He stayed over in the gym," Gerald said as if reading her mind. "He wasn't really hungry today."

_I guess he liked the donuts_, Helga thought as she dug into her pocket and tried to count out change for the drink machine. She scooped the counted change into one hand and grabbed up her bag as well. "Well," she said as she adjusted the straps. "I've got some work for next block I haven't finished, so I'm going to get a soda and head to the library. Later." The girl stomped across the cafeteria and pounded the machine for a coke before exiting with a angry flourish into the hall, where her shoulders immediately seemed to sag to the floor.

"I can't blame my beloved for not wanting to see me," she moaned as she trudged toward her locker. She figured she should start her research paper for lit class early. She really had no intention to do it over the weekend anyway. "I lost my poem, and now I can't even see my Arnold," she muttered to herself as she dug into the bottom of her bag for the chain she had discarded the day before. She took a quick peek inside before once again hiding the chain in the bag. She should fix that broken chain…again.

She balked as she reached her locker, a look of horror and confusion as she approached her it. Taped to the locker next to hers was a piece of notebook paper folded in half with the words "To: Geraldine." She didn't know whose locker it was, but she took a quick glance around before ripping the sheet off and quickly doing the combination on her locker and switching out her books. Her heart was playing a drum solo as she took off toward the library, paper in hand.

Helga pushed open the library door slowly, taking in which spots were the most crowded. She then made her way to the back of the library as inconspicuously as possible. It was known that there were two little cubbies back there for studying, and no one would be able to see her back there.

Upon sliding into the seat, the girl took a deep breath before placing the paper on the desk in front of her. It was written in an unfamiliarly neat cursive, her middle name. The girl took a deep breath before slowly folding the paper open, wincing as she heard the crumple of the crease.

The top half of the paper was covered in her own hand with purple pen by her poem. Below it, in green, was more of the unfamiliar cursive:

"Geraldine;

It's a nice poem, but it's somewhat lacking. Not that I don't sense your feelings in it, because I do, but I've seen the topic of unrequited love too often in poems. It's stale. What else you got?

James locker #324"

Helga scoffed, pushing the note into the corner of the table. Like she had any reason to write back. She didn't have to listen to crap from some stranger who had no idea what she was going through. Stale? How is it 'stale'? It was not a bad poem and this 'James', whoever he was, probably had no idea what it felt like to be confused about such a topic. He had probably never even had feelings for someone like she had them for Arnold.

However, she found she couldn't resist tearing another sheet out of her notebook and replying;

"Why James, I'm sorry to find that you think my poem is 'stale', so to speak. But it's not my fault you're a stranger to anything culturally profound and you probably wouldn't know a feeling of love it bit you, no, chomped half you nosy ass off. I'd appreciate it if you'd stay out of situations you know nothing about. And stay away from my locker.

Geraldine"

She gave her 'e' a somewhat curly flourish and folded the paper like he had done her poem and wrote "To: Dumbass" on the front. She then carefully peeled the tape off her poem and pressed it onto her new note, rubbing it with her finger to made sure it stuck. The blonde preceded to pick up her bag and stalk her way to locker 324 where she stuck her note in plain view. "Teach losers to stay out of my business," she snarled as she pounded the tape to make sure it would stick.

* * *

After the last bell of the day finally rang and she had made sure (again) that her poem was still in the front pouch of her binder, she allowed herself the luxury of leaving with everyone else instead of darting out ahead or staying after like she was itching today. Perhaps this was more so labeled as torture. She hesitated as she got the bottom of the steps of the high school, looking around for Arnold. You know, just to see how he was an all.

"Helga?"  
The girl jumped like a ninja, clutching her heart as she spun around to find Arnold staring at her confusion.

"Geez, don't do that! You scared the crap out of me!"

"I can see that," he responded, eyebrows raised as she continued to pant. "What're you doing, just standing around?"

"Can't a girl just stand around the corner of the school for a breath of fresh air?"

"Isn't it a little cold for that?" Arnold inquired as he brushed some snow of his shoulder. "I wouldn't call this "air" fresh."

Helga shrugged before raising her chin as she started down the sidewalk, her boots leaving deep prints in the snow. Arnold kept pace with her as he asked, "I'm not sure what I did yesterday, but apparently you aren't forgiving me for it?"

"I didn't say you did anything."

"I didn't say it was cold today, but just cause I didn't say it didn't make me feel any less like a popsicle.."

She rolled her eyes, trying not to make eye contact as she crossed in front of him to wait for the crosswalk. Helga crossed her arms in her usual careless manner as he continued.

"Look, if you mistook my suggestions as something more, uh, forward, you could just say so. I was-I mean, am!- only trying to be your friend and you tried to eat me like a snow leopard protecting her cubs!"

Helga gave him an 'are you serious?' look as her beloved began to act out a mauling before he coughed in embarrassment.

"Just because I didn't want to go to the movies doesn't mean I don't want to be your friend," she managed to say. The light changed and she slide her sliding bag up her shoulder and made her way across the street, Arnold not following this time.

"I just don't understand why you suddenly are trying to shut me out," the boy muttered. "If something is wrong or you need someone to talk to, you know you can talk to me."

"I know," she said with a sigh. "But some other time, okay?" An image of Patty beating her down with a gavel flitted across her mind, and she had to shake her head to clear it.

"You want to just stay in this weekend like usual?" he pressed, brushing some hair back the wind was chasing.

"I'll let you know," she responded as she turned her head to give him a quick glance.

He smiled. "So text me later, okay Super G? Or call? Send me an owl? A wire? Let's learn Morse code!"

Helga couldn't contain her smiled as she kept walking. "Sure," she called back. "I'm going to use carrier pigeons."

"I'll go talk to Pigeon man!"

"I was joking!"

* * *

The next morning went off as normal, so to speak, except Arnold seemed a little distant, and Helga couldn't pinpoint a reason why. His mannerisms and responses were short.

"It's colder today than it has been."

"Yeah."

And

"Do you think that's a good idea?"

"Sure.

She even went so far as to blurt out "What's the best way to survive a zombie apocalypse?" in hopes of some sort of longer answer. She got, "Run."

She waited impatiently through her morning classes, many explanations or reasons running through her mind, yet always tiptoeing around that obvious reason.

As the lunch bell tolled, she grabbed her books in a flurry and tore to the lunchroom like a receiver. Useless. He was absent again.

"So," Helga mouthed dramatically as she leaned on the table, hand on her rather bony hip as she tried to dredge up some courage. "Where's Arnoldo today? That's two lunches."

Gerald leaned on his fist as he replied, "My boy had other things to attend to today. When did you become his keeper miss hyp-"

Phoebe quickly dealt a soft blow to Gerald's arm as well as sent him a warning look. It was obvious he had about gone to far. "He said he was helping the math teachers move some books to the storage area upstairs."

Helga sighed and nodded. Like the day before, she trudged to her locker, resigned to spending another lunch in the library. She realized that she must've done something to really upset Arnold, considering this obvious attempt to avoid her. Of course the fact she had ignored most of his texts for awhile the past two days and hadn't returned a call or two probably could've had something to do with it. But she had responded to a few of last nights messages…much in the way he was responding to her now. She moaned. This was getting freakishly annoying.

As she looked up to open her locker, it smirked at her. A small note taped to the door next to hers that said "To: Geraldine."

She plucked it down like she had yesterday and sat down on the floor this time to read it, leaning against her locker.

"To: Geraldine.

For all you know, I may be a paraplegic and have no feeling in my 'ass' what-so-ever. How would that make you feel?

Yes, unrequited love it stale. Why not trying to write something about reciprocated love? How hard could it be to find someone who enjoys spending time with you?

Then of course, I wouldn't know. Your just a poem to me.

James

P.s I'm not a paraplegic, by the way ;)"

Helga snorted as she folded the note. She reached into her messenger bag and pulled out her binder, flipping it open and casually sliding the new note into her binder. With a shrug, she once again pulled out a sheet of paper and her purple pen and made well her reply.


	7. Go the Distance

Hey guys =) Happy late New year and closer to Happy V day! Yay! I'm excited.

Anywho, fairly simple chapter. Not action packed, but gotta pave the way, ya know?

Disclaimer: I dont own Hey Arnold!, sadly...I also dont own _The Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood._ It belongs to Rebecca Wells. Worth the read.

_"I'm a damsel. I'm in distress. I can handle this. Have a nice day._"  
-Hercules

"Jackass James;

Be assured that when I find you, you will end as a paraplegic for mocking me, stranger or not. I'm not picky. Also, if you're going to write a poem, you right about what you know. And what I know is-"

She paused, her pen pressed to the paper with no new word attached. What did she know, really? She knew she wasn't being open to any feeling of 'reciprocated love' because it had eluded her this long, and it was hard to accept the fact that God would actually give her a taste after all the years. She knew she was being a relative wuss about the whole thing. She sighed.

"well, what I know is things aren't working like I planned. Its along the lines of 'you're just to good to be true', and 'If its too good to be true, it probably is.'"

Helga left her note in the same place as her last one, and she smirked slightly as she gave it one final punch to make sure the tape would stick, considering she was using a hand me down like last time. Her note had been relatively more open this time.

As par for the class, the day slogged ago as she struggled to keep her thoughts on the subjects at hand. She wanted to do a touchdown dance when the final bell finally signaled a freedom.

She darted out into the hallway, pausing in front of her locker and glancing around for Arnold. The girl also felt a little sadness in the fact there was not a new note. It was starting to feel kind of nice to know she get a little bit of her chest without too much judging going on.

"Hey, Arnold!" she called, waving as she saw him walking down the hallway. He turned his head and waved and she felt a delicious warm flare until she noted he was walking with another girl. A tall, filled out, raring red head with designer jeans and a flatter floral shirt. Helga felt a feral snarl threatening to release itself as he claws dug down into the plastic of her binder.

She watched as her green eyed god hugged the girl and mouth a few words before nodding and making his way over.

"Hi," he said with a half smile as he worked the combination on his locker.

"Hi," the blonde said, forcing a twitching smile on as she watched him put his books away. "She looks…" she stopped herself for blurting out two dollar whore at the risk of offending Arnold, and concluded instead with, "like a Barbie." She felt her cheek muscles spasm involuntarily as she stood with her binder still clenched. "About this weekend," she began.

"Yeah, I got the picture that you didn't really wanna hang out," he interrupted as he classed the locker and shrugged on his jacket. Helga felt her breath catch as she observed how his arm muscles rippled along with his chest muscles. Her head drooped to the side and a little sigh escaped as he ran his fingers through his tangles locks and gave a tug to his jacket.

"Uh, Helga?" he inquired.

The girl shook her head and pinched her cheek in punishment as she laughed shakily. "I said I'd let you know?"

"From all your evasive and short messages last night, I kind of assumed no."

"Well I-"

"Look, don't worry about me," he said with a smile as he leaned against his locker, laughing slightly. "Jeanne asked me if I could help her with some of our English stuff. We've got projects due Monday and she's having trouble getting started. I've already finished mine "

The girl plastered a smile on her face, blinking rapidly. "Well, have fun."

"Sure," he responded, an unrecognizable look flickering quickly over his face as Helga held her stiff pose and marched toward the door, her boots footfalls being overshadowed by the heavy beating of her heart.

It was odd, in a way, how she drifted home in a lightheaded stupor. She didn't recall whether Arnold had said anything else as she floated down the crunchy sidewalk home, tiny snowflakes just beginning to fall in the not quite afternoon, each one seeming to give her a tiny kiss of pity as they flitted against her nose and eyelashes and cheeks and ears and every little numb exposed part of her being.

The girl stepped inside the house and let her bag drop to the floor before making her way to the kitchen where she gently placed the tea kettle on the stained stove. A tea bag was placed inside as were two mugs of water.

Helga pulled a stool up the stove and perched like a skinny Buddha as she peered out the window, her face relatively calm as she pondered the events of the past few days. It was simply, really, her idiocy over the whole matter. How in an attempt to save herself from pain, she had just let her heart get ripped out instead. Arnold had found someone else willing to do things with him she was so afraid to. She regretted not learning how to swim. Jumping in was one of the guaranteed ways.

And maybe Jeanne isn't trying to be a 'chum' with ol football head, she mused as a tiny spurt of steam ventured out of the kettle. Maybe she is behind. Say Arnold discovers he'd rather spend time with an attractive popular girl while talking over intelligent things. Maybe you cant build a friendship based on fairy tales that don't come true.

She jumped, the splatters of the water on the stove jolting her back to reality. The blonde moved the kettle off the burner and turned in off with one hand while she pulled out her ponytail holders with the other, stashing the tiny collection in the pocket of her jeans. She shook her long hair out with her long fingers, using harsh pulls to free her tangles. After a moment she just let it fall around her and she felt a odd sensation of peace from the little gesture. She was oddly surprised she was taking this news as well as she was. Maybe she was half expecting it.

Later, as she was settled upstairs with a mug of tea and wrapped in a blanket as she read _The Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood_, her dirty little secret of the week. It was book that made her feel somewhat jealous that she didn't have friends she could tell everything in her life to, friends that totally supported her. Honestly, she was so grateful for Phoebe, but she hated to tell her anything deeply personal. She knew Phoebe picked on things like that because that's who she was, but she found it extremely unlikely that she EVER would've shared a bath with Phoebe, much less a night in jail with her. It was two freaking weird, and Helga wasn't comfortable enough with her body just yet to let that happen. She shook her head to clear the awkward though as she turned that page. As she fell deeper in the pages, she knew she would never related to the ya yas, but only Sidda. The woman who was in her forties and was passionate about directing everything going on around her, but felt deathly afraid of the prospect of love. Helga was in that stage. She didn't want to jump in with Arnold so unprepared on the ways of a relationship, just like Sidda was afraid of marrying Connor because of her parents disjointed relationship and abusive style.

Helga snorted as she turned another page, thinking, man! I can relate to you, sister. We both need that one person we can share stuff with, don't we? Besides the one we love…At least you still have yours.

Helga jumped as her phone vibrated, quickly shoving the book out of view under the covers and peering around as if someone might catch her in a vulnerable and girlish state. She noted it was Phoebe's number, but she wasn't in the mood to answer. She was saddened about Arnold and this plump little blob Jeanne. Life was a mess, to say the least.

"You've got mail!" Helga glared at the computer blinking merrily from her desk. She sighed as she threw bag the covers and padded over in her ratted transformer pj bottoms and green t shirt.

"Whats this?" she muttered as she sat down, noting the new e-mail from Phoebe. She also had one from her pen-pal some five hours away. She opened Phoebe's and marked the one from Jace to be read later.

"Helga! I don't know whats been going on lately, I've been trying to stay out of the way of things. You know me, we're growing up and you deserve your space and I'm rarely assertive, but just so you know, I'm here when you need me. Also, I'll be sleeping over tonight. See you in ten!"

It ended with Phoebe's signature, and Helga groaned in self pity as she laid her head down on the desk, clicking the mouse of the other message. Nothing much to it, except discussing how they were definitely going to have to meet up sometime in the near future if the whole deal with rooming was going to survive working out. She shrugged. No reply at the moment.

Helga shut down the computer and moved her school bag she had grabbed on her way upstairs and threw it on the vanity, her binder sliding out along with her notes from James. She picked them up and smiled slightly. "I may not know you," she muttered as she placed them carefully in a drawer, "and that's precisely while I feel I can tell you things"

There was a delicate knock on her door followed by a soft, "Helga?"

"Yeah, yeah, its open!"

Phoebe opened the door and carefully placed her duffle at the end of Helga's bed as was the standard Phoebe way. She then dropped her sleeping bag on the floor and settled down, her pajamas already on.

"So Helga, fill me in. I want to know."

Helga rolled her eyes as she flopped down on the bed, her eyes roaming the ceiling. "About what?"

"Arnold. This weekend. What went wrong."

"It doesn't matter."

"It always matters to me Helga, honestly. I'm worried about you. About Arnold. About the fact you might actually let some irrational apprehension of intimacy ruin what you've always wanted!" Phoebe's face fell slightly as she took in Helga's disheveled appearance. She knew when things weren't going well for Helga, they rarely did. But everyone but Helga seemed to get it this time, not just Phoebe.

"Rhonda's been calling me," Phoebe tossed out as she, too, laid back on her pillow. "Curious and as gossip ridden as ever about this girl, Jeanne. Seems she's somewhat new, even though she was here at the beginning of the semester. She's been a little keen on Arnold but he's turned her down on all her weekend invitations…until now."

"So he found someone else, big deal," Helga muttered as she tolled over to bury her face in her pillow. "Big damn deal."

"Helga," Phoebe said sternly. "He liked you. You're his friend. You still are. You have the right to tell him if something makes you uncomfortable."

Helga snorted.

"You do!" the tiny raven haired girl protested, gesturing. "That's what friends are for. You share things, trust. And sometimes you love them."

A silence hung about the room for a few minutes before Phoebe added. "There's nothing more sad than walking around the rest of your life just wondering what if. Explain."

Helga sighed before releasing her story onto the friend. When she concluded, she took a deep breath and waiting on some sort of Phoebe like advice to flow out.

"Well," Phoebe said slowly as she processed, "I wouldn't over react to the Arnold and Jeanne thing just yet. You've got time to deal with that. As always, I think you should tell Arnold." She counted off the events on her fingers. "As for James, I think that whether or not you continue to write him is up to you. I don't think he's a sure freak of nature because obviously he goes to our school, so he's not some old man pretending to be and so on so forth. But if you feel comfortable sharing things with a stranger with hopes of an unbiased reply, then I see no harm in it. People have pen pals and blogs online to serve the same purpose, so feel free. What's the worst it could do?"

Helga nodded, shaking her head as she took it in. "So I could get an unbiased guys opinion on the matter. And no, I'm not asking Gerald," she concluded before Phoebe could interupt. "Thats biased times Chuck Norris."

Phoebe giggled as she slid into her sleeping bag. "Night Helga."

"Night Pheebs. And thanks."


	8. Kiss the Girl

Hullo world! Yeah..I take forever...I'm bad. ...Anyway! Enjoy the chapter my duckies!

I don't own Hey Arnold! I also do not own Hooters, Barbie, Tarzan, "Can't take my eyes of you" by Frankie V

Jeanne, however, is my lovely creation based on all of those little girls you just can't stand

* * *

.

**_ "I've had enough of you and your emotional constipation!" -Tantor, "Tarzan"_**

_"Geraldine:_

_You said it's like "You're just too good to be true" ….but I_

_Can't keep my eyes off of you_

_You feel like heaven to touch_

_I wanna hold you so much_

_At long last love has arrived_

_And I thank God I'm alive_

_You're just too good to be true_

_Can't take my eyes off you ."_

_Originally by Frankie Valli =) Reciprocated love. Sounds nice. I don't see how that's bad._

_Yes, I understand you write what you know in a poem….so, go learn some more about being loved and then write a poem about that. Excuses are not acceptable! Go go GO! …but be sure to come back. I'd miss your 'happy' notes. Ha._

_James"_

The blonde rolled her eyes as she stood in front of her locker, the note in her hand. "Sure," she muttered to her invisible pen pal as she folded the note and shoved it in her jeans pocket before slipping her messenger bag off her shoulder and going about the ritual of switching books from her locker to the bag and vice versa.

She sighed as she listened to the melting pot of voices mixing in the hallway as people giggled and seemed to fight to have their conversations audible. It was typical teenage morning business when the weather was cold; sardines all slammed in the one hallway.

Phoebe made sure she had dressed Helga for the morning, picking out a pair of dark blue jeans and a red collared button down shirt. Helga had refused the big jacket her friend had tried to get her to wear. It wasn't snowing today, and it was remotely sunny. No need for something else to carry around. Her hair floated in neatly combed waves over her shoulders today. "No pigtails," Phoebe had warned her, taking the elastics from Helga's fingers earlier that morning. "A change of appearance that was slightly more well groomed helped confidence" Phoebe had said. Heh, to hell with that confidence.

"Morning," came the voice of the angel followed by the click of a locker.

Helga nodded in response, turning her head to give Arnold a smile. "Morning Arnoldo," she said as she tossed her hair from her face. She took in his appearance and let her sense revel in the scent of the familiar cologne. In her one week of distance, she was missing all the little details. She was missing the easy casualness of being close to him everyday. Walking to school, the smell of cologne, his easy stance, the way he always had that wide eyed surprise at his own clumsiness.

"Helga?"

She shook her head and stammered, "Yeah? What?"

Arnold smiled crookedly as he shook his head. "You're definitely off on vacation this week. I said you look nice today. I like your hair that way," he repeated as he absentmindedly brushed some out of her face. "It makes you look a little less menacing," he added with a smirk. "Later."

"Oh, uh later," Helga breathed as she spun on her heels to watch him walk away. Her face tingled where his fingers had briefly touched it in that all too fast moment. She let out a small cry as her bag tumbled to the floor and spilled open.

"Well that's just fan-freakin-tastic," she snarled."

* * *

"Gooooood morning students!" the voice of Rhonda blared over the loudspeaker. In an attempt to make the announcements seem 'hip' and 'cool' to the students, Principal Stewart had taken to allowing students read the morning announcements. Rhonda had been utterly ecstatic when her month came and treated it like she was a big time radio host. Phoebe had urged Helga to fill out one of the applications, but Helga refused saying she had a hard enough time keeping how she felt about the school to herself, she didn't need the temptation of a school wide mike. She rolled her eyes as she continued to doodle little stick people in the margins of her notebook paper, leaning on one fist as she tuned in an out.

"As you all know, January is drawing to an end and February is fast approaching! Which means Valentine's day, and the annual Hillwood High Valentine's dance!" There was a squeal of delight. "Which means start asking while the picking is good, boys. There just aren't enough beautiful girls to go around!"

"Rhonda!" the voice of Principal Stewart warned faintly in the background.

"What? I'm being honest! That free speech thing and all. Also, don't forget that the end of January will be marked by the 'New Resolutions Talent Show!'…Another time for you talentless tarts to try and convince everyone you're worth their attention when you wear last seasons Prada-"

"I'm serious!"

"So I'm I!"

"RHONDA!"

The class bubbled with laughter as an audible scuffle was heard before Principal Stewart closed with, "The signup sheet for the talent show will be on the table outside the office this afternoon. It will stay posted until next Thursday, a week from now, and all those on the sheet will audition Friday after school. The following week will be for set up and act tweaking. If you're interested in helping with decorations and technical setup, contact Arnold Shortman before of after school. And remember, this is Principal Stewart putting the 'pal' in principal!"

Helga shook her head as the class erupted in excited chatter, everyone obviously thinking they had the talent to win. Which she knew in some cases was true. After all, Lila could play a mad violin where as Phoebe had numerous talents to showcase. Others were just plain pathetic, and that was generous. Helga gagged as she recalled Harold in last years show. Somehow the boy had gotten the notion that eating ten pounds of barbecue in under five minutes would be cool. It wasn't. It had reminded Helga of cannibalism as he had shoved the shredded meat in his mouth, digging it out with his hands, the red sauce dribbling down his shirt and arms. He was a man after Hannibal's heart that day. And he probably would have eaten that too, the way he was going. Class went relatively easy, although Helga wasn't fond of calculus. Today they went over the subject of finite differences, which left Helga feeling her pages of notes looked like some ancient language incomprehensive to those not aware of this mathematical language. Like she probably would be later when she decided to go over it. She grinned wryly.

"Students, we are done for the day," Dr. Madeline said about five minutes until the bell, capping her expo marker and placing it on her desk. "As I'm sure you all heard this morning, the talent show is coming up. I'm not saying I'm bribing you, per se," she said, "but anyone who does enter the show will receive up to eight bonus points on the next test. Those points, plus the two point question already on your test will allow you up to a full letter grade worth of bonus points on the test. Think about it."

The bell rang loudly as she finished up her proposition. "Remember, problems five though fifteen for homework!"

After class, Helga made her way to the restroom, not sure if she was seriously considering joining the talent show or not. Bonus points were never to be taken lightly in a math class.

"So I asked him about it and he said yes."

"Arnold did?"

Helga paused with her hand on the door, not sure whether to enter as the conversation continued.

"Mhm. That little Café with the outdoor tables. The one on the corner."

"Oh, awesome! When's the date?"

"The twenty eighth."

"And?"

"Free for me of course. Seriously. You think he'd make me pay?" There was a tinkling laugh. "He's practically doing my project for me this weekend too. All I have to do is bat my eyes and say I don't understand." More laughter.

Helga quickly stepped back as the door opened and Jeanne and a tall, slender, dark skinned girl strode out. The blonde watched as Jeanne tossed her herbal essences hair dramatically over her shoulder. Helga raised an eyebrow.

"Oh. Hey," the girl said to Helga with an award winning smile before continuing on the way.

And something snapped.

The rage bubbling inside Helga made Hell look like a sauna. An intense anger was pounding at her for being such a stupid idiot. Helga G. Pataki was not a coward, so why was she acting like one when Arnold was involved. Wasn't life about risks? And the hate toward this red headed step child! She was using him! There was no way she appreciated the uniqueness, the kindness, the very essence of his gorgeous soul!

"Have a nice day!" Helga snapped, cocking her head to the side with a plastic smile like Barbie. "I bet your boobs make a great airbag for when you crash and burn." With a loud snort she threw the door open and marched inside, snarling at the freshman girls who looked at her in shock. "You want a piece of the this?"

When no one replied, she snapped "I didn't think so" before pointing them out. As usual, they all heeded her and darted out like rabbits.

Like she had earlier in the week she marched her way to the mirror and tossed her hair. And her reflection wasn't the same as it was. She now saw a young woman who deserved to be cared for. She deserved it way more than little miss Hooter Barbie! And she'd be damned if she let that sticky little tramp use her sweet angel like some little puppet. She gripped the sink, frowning. It was all just a question of the perfect way to do it. She wasn't sure if just telling Arnold was the best idea. Just telling him didn't affect Jeanne in the least, and well, we couldn't have that now could we? She knew what everyone said about revenge, that it was weak. But she didn't see it as revenge. Oh, no. It was more like…what's the word? Justice. That was it. And hadn't her little friend James said to go and make love happen for her? So, taking a page out Genghis Khan's book, she mutter aloud, "I am the punishment of God...If you had not committed great sins, God would not have sent a punishment like me upon you."

* * *

She stomped her way to lunch that day, head held high. She smiled inside and out as she saw Arnold in his familiar place. She skipped the line and simply got a soda before sitting down. She placed her bag on the floor and smiled widely at everyone as she sat down.

"What'd I miss?" she inquired as she popped the top of her yahoo.

"Not much," Gerald replied as he continued to make a mashed potato volcano. "Just working on another one of my great masterpieces."

Helga raised an eyebrow and met Arnold's eye as she pointed, "Don't tell me he's going to eat that?"

The great masterpiece was currently stacked high and sprinkled bread crumbs, the inside filled to the brim with ketchup and the schools idea of gravy. It looked like it had congealed twice over. Mustard was currently being added and packets of filched Taco Bell hot sauce waited in the corner of the ring.

Arnold blinked, wide eyed, as if surprised she decided to acknowledge him first. "It's a definite possibility," he said after composing himself. "I've never known him to back down from a challenge."

"Yeah I wouldn't eat that even if you paid me."

Arnold gave a loud 'ahem'.

"Okay, I would," she admitted as she raised her hands in surrender. "But only if the price was right."

Phoebe laughed before taking a sip of her V8, adjusting her glasses. She smiled at Helga, watching her cheer with Arnold as Gerald shamelessly spiraled hot sauce on his 'food'. It pleased her to see that Helga finally seemed somewhat back to her old self today. The girl hoped it would last long enough for an impression to be made on Arnold.

Everyone at the table, including Gerald, gagged as he shoved the first spoonful into his mouth. He plowed on though, Sid, Stinky, and Harold now standing behind him and hooting with delight only boys could get from watching their own kind do disgusting feats.

Helga and Phoebe clapped along at the end of the show with the boys, though they didn't quite understand the accomplishment of it. That same boyish excitement that had made Gerald eat his own gross creation was one in the same with that which had caused Sid to once eat a roach for twenty dollars. Phoebe and Helga never understood why he had done it without so much as fight. It was just that boy thing.

"So," Helga said as she shook her head, watching Phoebe slowly escorting Gerald to the fountains on the wall. He looked sick and pleased all at once. "You're heading the talent show?"

Arnold nodded in response, taking a bite of his own, though less exciting, lunch. "Yeah, Principal Stewart approached me about it when I was helping Coach. He said he had noticed how I seemed to enjoy handling things like that and asked if I was interested."

"Are you?"

"Not always," he admitted sheepishly as he looked at her, running his fingers through his hair. "But sometimes, well, I just can't-"

"Say no," she finished for him as she fiddled with the tab of the soda can. "I know. It's one of those traits I like about you. But it could get you in trouble sometimes," she said, not quite making eye contact. She was thankful she had her hair as a shield today.

Arnold laughed pleasantly beside her. "Yeah, that's what grandpa tells me. Usually I don't see a problem with saying no, though."

"Sometimes, though, that's why people ask you. Because you don't stick up for yourself. People will use you," she said darkly, this time brushing her hair behind her ear and raising her baby blues to meet his dark green.

She watched as his Adams apple bobbed nervously. He cracked a smile. "Well-?"

"How's the project coming?" she asked, cocking her head to the side and leaning on her fist as she kept her gaze locked on him. Perhaps her staring would make him crack.

"Not too bad, actually," he continued. "Jeanne still doesn't have any ideas yet, but we'll think of something."

"What exactly is the project?"

"Well, we have to make a comic for "Twelfth Night" and also design a costume and film a scene."

"Ah, yes. 'Go hang yourselves all! You are idle shallow things; I am not of your element.' Got to love it," she laughed. "After I read that, I walked around for the rest of the semester muttering that when I was teased."

Arnold laughed again, smiling at her, eyes alight. "You would, I don't doubt that at all."

"You must've have a lot of free time to finish," she mused.

"Well, I had no one really talking to me this week."

"Sorry about that," she apologized nervously.

"It's nice to finally actually talk to you again. So," he said playful pushing her shoulder, "You going to be in mah Talent sho'?"

Helga laughed at his poorly imitated accent. "Maybe. What's in it for me?"

"Psh, I know you get bonus points already."

"Like I need them," she snapped back. "Math is for sissys. What else you got?"

He paused thoughtfully, then straightened seriously, his Adams apple bobbing nervously again. He even managed a few dry coughs.

Helga raised an eyebrow, letting out a 'humph'. "Well gee buster, I don't really want the flu."

"Well, before you start ignoring me again…"

There was another pause before he stood and finally blurted loudly, if quickly, "Would you settle for me taking you to dinner?"

She blinked in surprise, her heart seeming to forget how to even beat, just like her lungs forgetting to move. "What?" she breathed. Was it just her, or was the entire cafeteria shushed as well?

"Did Arnold just ask Helga on a date?" Rhonda shrieked from across the cafeteria, the pure bottled spring water poised on it's way to her maroon lips.

Without breaking his eye contact, Arnold squared his shoulders and stated, "Yes, he did."


	9. Poor Unfortunate Souls

Hey guys :D I totally know that this story got overshadowed by my other . This chapter is short, yes, but I'm letting you know I havent forgotten it. Anywho, In the later part of the chapter, if you have not read my oneshot entitled "Spy Candy," then you may not get the ref or the character...so hint hint...go check it out..lol. Anywho, enjoy =)

* * *

_**"Okay, this is it. Time to show 'em your man walk. Shoulders back, chest high, feet apart, head up, and... strut!" - Mulan**_

"Oh my freakin gosh, What're you thinking Arnold?" Rhonda cried from across the cafeteria. "Are you even serious? I was so right!" She cooed in her triumph as being right before leaning on her table to start the newest rumor about the incident.

She was soon drowned out by the tidal wave of voices that one again took over the cafeteria, most of the tables having their own conversations to finish or now begin.

Helga once again suffered from her oh so familiar fish out of water syndrome before grabbing the boy's wrist and pulling him back down in the seat with her.

"Are you insane?" she hissed. "Feverish?"

He shook his head before looking down and running his fingers through his hair. "No, I'm not insane." Arnold sighed before lifting his eyes up in confusion. He gave a nervouse half smile.

"I, uh, well," she stammered, rubbing the back of her neck as she tried not to let her awkward, nervous laugh escape. "I guess I could. I mean, so long as you behave yourself," she added, trying to add humor to the situation. After all, Phoebe supported her in this, Patty supported her, and even James said go for it. Like his opinion mattered. And Jeanne could suck it.

"Great," Arnold blurted suddenly, a wave of relief washing over his face. "I know it's a little odd to ask you for a date, then tell you it'll be next weekend before we can do anything. It's the only free one I've got this month, what with Jeanne's project and her birthday as well as the talent show. Oh crap," he moaned as he palmed his forehead. I forgot I'll have to be at audition most of next Friday and then stay to work on setup. But Saturday," he assured her. "Saturday will work for me."

Helga just nodded, feeling the heat creeping into her ears. She felt the symphony of her heart playing extremely loud as she realized she had a officially said yes to a date with Arnold. Sure, she'd been on a few so called dates with him in years past…But this time she wouldn't need any roaches or need to pretend to be someone else. It was just her, and him.

She opened her mouth to speak, but clamped it just as quickly as Jeanne sashayed her way to the table. "Hey Arnold," she said with a slight southern drawl, tossing her hair. "I was hoping if you had some time, you could accompany me to the library. I'm having trouble with my comic, and my math," she said with a gentle pout.

"Yeah, sure," Arnold agreed, looking up at her as he spoke. "Oh, Jeanne, this is Helga," he added as he gestured to Helga.

"Hey," Jeanne commented with a look of distaste. "Come on Arnold," she poured on, gently tugging his arm. "Lunch ends soon."

"I'm coming," he said with a chuckle. "Hey, Helga, I'll see you later today?"

She nodded as he turned to leave with bimbo Barbie. She gritted her teeth, trying not to make a scene for Arnold by attacking her with a vengeance. "Calm down, old girl. We need to take our time." She snatched up her books and plodded out to her locker, sliding down to the floor. She rummaged through her bag and fetched her binder. After a few more rummage moments, she found the note she had read earlier.

"James:

That song technically doesn't say she loves him back, does it? Yah. So suck on that. Criminey.

Also, I don't know much about reciprocated love...at least yet. But I may have that chance soon, and if I do, then I'll write a poem so touching you'll cry your eyes out. Hmph.

Geraldine."

She then extracted the roll of tape she had thought to toss in her bag and made her way over to the locker.

…...

As the final bell for the day rang, she noted that Arnold had yet to show up by his locker. She didn't want to seem desperate or look like a whiny lovesick girl, so she skirted out the door after ten minutes of waiting at most. She had a nagging suspicion he had been held up by a little vixen, and she clenched her fists. As she trudged through the snow, she felt a frown tugging at her lips. She had a date, yes, but he had little parasite. The blond paused suddenly, a mischievous smile creeping onto her face. "Perfect," she whispered, a laugh escaping as she turned to march in the other direction. He laughing ceased when she was taken over by a slight fit of coughing.

"Ugh," she spat, grabbing her bag as it trailed down her arm as it so often did. "And yes, that ugh is directed for you, Jeanne," she drawled, wiggling her fingers in the air as she mocked the girls voice.

_…...

After a bit of walking, well running, in the snow, Helga paused to get her breath. She leaned on the fence of the little café, her breath coming out in snowy puffs. She took a moment to run her fingers through her blond tangles, then pulled at the bottom of her shirt to make herself look a bit more presentable before making her way to the door and opening it.

She took a look around the restaurant, taking in all the tiny, intimate tables that were tucked in the various nooks and crannies of the room. It had many little jutting walls to give the illusion of privacy, and they were covered in painted vines and grapes. Real plants littered the area as well, and the lights were slightly dimmed. Overall, the restaurant had a great atmosphere, making it one of the more popular spots in town for dates and little lunches for the girls. She made her way to the counter, leaning on it in silence as she observed the boy behind the counter. He currently had his back to her, but his smooth black ponytail moved with him as he reached to get something of one of the shelves. She noted, from the back and in his uniform, he reminded her of the beast after her transformed. Except without the torn cuffs. The boy was wearing a white peasant shirt with long black pants.

"Hey, Jeff," she said casually. A laugh escaped her as he fumbled with the water bottles he had in his hands, a yelp escaping from his mouth as he scrambled to catch them all, which he succeeded in doing.

He darted a look in her directions, eyes narrowed. It took only a moment for him to burst into laughter himself as he realized who was standing there. "Hey Helga, what can I do for you today?"

"Eh, I just have a few questions to ask," she said mysteriously, leaning on the counter. She narrowed her eyes to show she was serious, and he should follow suit.

"Fire away," the nineteen year old asked, leaning on his elbows.

"Okay, Donnie, here's the deal. You know that guy-?"

"Blonde guy, a few Valentines ago?"

"That one. Look, have you seen him around lately? I'm pretty sure he's recognizable."

The boy thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, he was in here the other day with a red headed girl." His expression switched to one of wary anger. "Who is she?"

"Her name is Jeanne, and she's a slut," Helga said with a wave of her hand. "Did they set up an event, so to speak?"

"Let me check the calendar," he muttered as he bent to rummage under the counter. He produced a black, leather bound planner a moment later. "What's the date?"

"28th?" She paused. "I'm assuming this month."

He flipped, running his slender fingers down the page. "January 28th at 5 p.m., birthday dinner for Jeanne Hart. Reservation for 9, down payment made my Arnold Shortman." He cast his eyes up. "That it?"

"Dammit," she snarled, slamming her fist on the counter. Donnie's hand shot out to catch the pencil cup near the register, his eyes not leaving her face. "Look, she's new to school, so they say. I heard her talking about how she was just going to use Arnold to do her homework and pay for her birthday dinner."

Donnie nodded, indicating for her to continue. "He asked me on a date," she muttered with a blush.

"Fantastic!" he responded, giving her a pat on the arm. "So, I'm going to gather, that you wish to cancel her party, or just plan on crashing with no repercussions." He raised on eyebrow. "Am I right?"

"You know me so well," she said with a devilish smile. "I choose plan B."


	10. I won't say I'm in Love

Hi! I know…this one has taken forever…Also, this one ties in characters from "Spy Candy" and "Give it the ol' College try." Which is legit, because I remember in an earlier chapter she had e-mailed a said character =D And I get a certain joy out of my stories being able to be intertwined.

Also! I was totally going to make this a longer chapter, but I felt that I wanted to end it with the last line-well, obviously. But it seemed a good place to wrap this one up until next time ;)

As always, I don't own Hey Arnold characters. I do own Donnie and Jace, though =)

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**_"Getting into trouble a little early, aren't we Aladdin?"_**

**_"You're only in trouble if you get caught-!"_**

**_(Aladdin)_**

Donnie shook his head, his eyes dancing as he watched Helga. "I should have known," he responded with a dramatic sigh. "But he remember," he warned, holding up his pointer finger and holding it right in front of her eyes, just close enough to cause cross-eyed syndrome. "I do work here. They do pay me. I do like getting paid."

"And?" she commented, swatting his hand from her face, scowling.

"I want to keep getting paid. Which means this place needs to still be standing, and I don't want to be linked to you if you act too bad."

Helga scoffed, tossing her hair over her shoulder as she batted her eyelashes delicately. "Please," she commented, bringing her hand to her chest in mock astonishment. "Mwah? Do bad things?"

The boy shook his head, turning to restack the water that had fallen in his earlier moments. "I'm serious."

The girl stooped to pick her bag up off the floor, adjusting the strap as he spoke. "So am I."

"To which part?"

"Come on Donnie, really," Helga said, exasperated. "I'm not going to be a one man show with a music box and a monkey to clang a cup." She shuddered at the memory. "Arnold will be here. I want to stay in his good graces. I'll think of something."

"I'm sure you will." He smiled as he turned back around, now adjusting the counter. There were only a few people in the café at this time of day, so she knew he wasn't very busy. He had upgraded from waiter to cook now.

"By the way," she added, biting her bottom lip as she thought. She tilted her head, feeling her loose hair shift. It annoyed her. "There is a talent show coming up. I need an idea."

He raised his eyebrows, his surprise at this statement evident. "You?" he inquired. "You want to perform?"

"I used to do stand up, thank you very much," she shot back, her blue eyes narrowed. She clutched the strap of her bag with both hand, frowning.

"So what's the deal? No stand-up."

"No, not this time. I want something different. I mean, I get my bonus points either way, but Arnold's also in charge of this. I don't want to make anyone upset, and I also don't want to look like a fool."

"Think on it. I'm sure you'll think of something."

"You don't have an idea."

"Not a clue." He gave a clumsy smile.

"Fine," she said with a sigh, making her way toward the door.

"Hey, Helga!" She paused, her hand poised on the door to push it open. She could see the fresh little snow flakes falling like powder on the table she had set at those years before.

"What?"

"You look nice today."

She pushed the front door open, not even bothering to announce she was home. She knew better. Bob would be out, and so would Mariem, so to speak. She heard the T.V. in the living room, and she knew at least where to find her if she needed her. She couldn't think why she would, but it was always nice to know. She kicked her boots off at the door before making her way up the stairs. She let her school bag slide down by the door, and she let herself slide into the chair in front of her computer. She knew she had homework to do, but she was no where near motivated. In fact, she was plain exhausted from a day of surprises and anger. She took a deep breath, moaning as she stretched out in the chair. Usually, she would some idea of how to handle this situation. Usually, she had no problem being the one to carry out her plans. But she didn't see how her personally showing up and being obnoxious and rude would make Arnold happy in any shape or form, especially with it being the weekend right after they went out.

She contained her squeal, the thought even more enticing now that she was alone to relish it. They had a date. A date. A date date date date date. She couldn't stop saying it in her head, matching it with Arnold's name. All the combinations. I have a date with Arnold. Arnold has a date with me. Arnold and I have a date!

Helga shook her head, trying to control the giddy feeling she had.

"Okay," she said aloud to calm herself. She sat straight up in the chair, trying to reason with herself. "If it's after the date, he can't be that upset. But then he'd never ask me out again. He may ask me out again!" She groaned as she took covered her face with her hand. It had never been so hard to stay focused.

"I'll just do my homework," she said confidently, making her way to her bag. She opened her calculus notes and her book, staring at the numbers. She began to copy the problems to her paper. She forced herself to concentrate, trying to let the images morph into little Arnold heads on her paper.

She jolted as her computer pinged an instant message. It was one from her e-pal, so to speak, Jace. She suddenly felt guilty, remembering she hadn't responded to his earlier e-mail. She clicked it, skimming over the contents.

_My goodness Helli!_

"_Answer your e-mails. Why? Because all that comes from these fingertips is pure gold and you better bet your fanny I expect you to read it. I hope you don't think I write these messages just so you can delete them. I waste good time typing to you!"_

"_Sorry Jace!" _A quick send to let him know she wasn't dead, and to chill in a minute. _"I'm fine, I've been busy. It's been established I do have a life away from the computer. Unlike some people."_

"_Aww, I missed your cynicism."_

"…"

"_Look, if you'd read your e-mail *ahem* I'll be down in the area soon…Apparently my dad is thinking of remarrying (I say who give a shit) and my mom, feeling in woman's rage as she should be, feels like giving him a piece of her mind. And a pen. He hasn't signed divorce papers yet. He's a sleeze. Anydoots, this will bring me within an hour of Hillwood. I know where you live. I know we've never actually met. It's been, what, two years? I promise I'm not some forty year old man. If you're up for it, I'd love an excuse to not have to hand out with my dad."_

"_When?"_

"_Please….contain that there enthusiasm… the weekend of the 28th__. My mom has to ask off."_

A little light bulb went off in Helga's head. This…well, this turn of events could prove too good to be true. He wasn't someone Arnold or Jeanne would know. He wouldn't be at school here. He…could be her answer.

"_You have no idea how great that timing would be for me! I need a favor."_

"…_.So that's a yes on getting together? I'll bring cookies."_


	11. Reflection

Sooooo, I'm back =) And thank you all for keeping up, specially my new reader who reviewed only a few days ago ;) Dedicate this chapter to you, because that little recent review helped me feel inspired...which then made me remember I actually wrote this chapter months ago whoops! Anywho, I tweaked it and finished it up =) Sorry for any jumpy-ness. I just wanted to get to the time pass.

* * *

**_"They say if you dream of a thing more than once it's sure to come true. And I've dreamed of him many times…"_**

**_Aurora, Sleeping Beauty_**

After her talk with Jace, Helga had proceeded to actually finish the homework she had for the night and begin her scheming. The rest of the school week had gone by in a relative blur, what with the work she had and the work Arnold now had with the show and Jeanne. They passed hellos and goodbyes in the hall, but his lunch was always cut short by Jeanne, or someone else wondering about the talent show. They could never quite make it to walk home together anymore either, what with his sudden popularity that came with him being the one to not just decorate, but judge the auditions for the show. Helga didn't want to get lost in the crowd that swamped him at the lockers every afternoon. She didn't want to seem like just another fan, or freak to speak. It wasn't like she was his girlfriend, for goodness sake.

When Friday night did finally roll around, Helga had to stop herself in mid-walk to the front door of her house. It was so engrained in her mind that around this time every Friday she would be meeting Arnold out at the video store to pick out the latest movie for the night. She shook her head as she turned, marching back up the stairs, coat in hand. She had to casually remind herself that she didn't have this Friday with Arnold because of her own stupidity and insecurities. And to think, the could have been spending it in a movie theatre together, already on that promised 'date' that lingered in the air, seeming so far away now. Instead, her Arnold was with the vixen Jeanne who knew how to wrap him around her little finger. And the football head was too kind hearted to see her for what she was!

Helga felt lost and bored roaming her room, looking at her phone every five minutes, half expecting a text with him asking why she wasn't over. After about thirty minutes of this behavior, she plopped down at her computer. No one was online on her buddy list, and no new e-mails. With a groan, she shut the computer down, her leg shaking with energy that she did not have an outlet for. She began to feel like an addict, getting up and down constantly as she tried to find something to do to distract her racing mind. Her mind kept sneaking to the thoughts of what they must be doing together. She could see Jeanne sliding closer to Arnold, basically rubbing herself against him as she asked for help. Arnold would look over at her, smile his winning smile. He would take her hand- "Criminy!" Helga whined, waving her hands in front of her face as she tried to beat the thought images from the air around her. To free her mind, she instinctively found herself reaching for "Beauty and The Beast", but withdrew her hand like it had been burned. Helga pursed her chaptstick covered lips, glaring at the DVD as if it were Satan himself, daring it to tempt her again. Instead, she dug out the movie she had purchased ages ago along with the said previous movie, unwrapping the case and reading over the back. It was full of crude humor, explosions, and sex. Just enough to keep her mind from Arnold, she concluded. Movie in hand, she gathered up her pink throw and pillow and paraded down the stairs. She dropped them unceremoniously onto the couch, only somewhat surprised that her parents were no longer in sight. Bob worked longer hours now…Of course, she knew they weren't worked at the office. Miriam was actually in the bed tonight, actually managing to drag herself in there and get under the covers unharmed. Helga felt that her mother knew about Bob too, but what could she do but lean harder on the crutch she'd used so many years? Why face pain sober when you didn't have to? Helga sighed, figuring that if she was going to be a baby about the situation, she would do it with the whole shebang. The girl plodded into the laundry room and pulled out her worn green sleeping shorts and over sized shirt. She stripped down in the laundry room, putting the dirty ones in the hamper. She'd wash them later. She was nowhere near that sort of mood right now.

Comfortably dressed and feeling more depressed, the blonde trudged to the fridge. She had actually been considering popcorn, but after the months of air popped magic at Arnold's, the microwave corn left her taste buds with a bitter taste. She grabbed the half eaten cartoon of chocolate ice cream, muttering, "Let's go ahead and do this up right. I'm a depressed teenage female, dammit!" She slammed the freezer with a vengeance, stomping back to the living room.

She snuggled up under the blanket, the ice cream on her chest and remote in the other. The movie started, and for a good solid thirty minutes she felt like she would make it through the night without another hitch. Until the love interest stepped in. Typically, she was redhead…when the love scene come on, Helga found herself picturing Arnold and Jeanne's heads on the bodies. Her hands immediately wrenched the cushions of the couch, a guttural snarl escaping through her lips. Snarling, she slammed the remote down on the coffee table and bundled herself up under the blanket. It was going to be a long, hard, cold evening.

She awoke to the sound of her phone buzzing against the table. She sat up, bleary eyed, peering at the tv. The menu screen of the DVD was on repeat, and she knew she'd been out at least an hour. She reached out and flipped the phone open, her breath catching as she read the short message. "_I didn't feel right without a movie." _The girl released a high pitched squeal as she fell back on the couch, phone now clutched in her hands. "He missed me," she breathed, heart pounding. "My Arnold actually misses me!" She kicked her feet up, knocking the blanket aside as she sighed, clutching the phone to her chest as she sighed.

Any other time, she wouldn't have been this giddy. She had reigned herself in the past months of movies and texts, always sure that it would just be as it was, friend zone central. A one way ride. But, now that she had actually agreed to a date with him, that he had actually asked her, she relished the blooming feeling of excitement. She began to understand why Phoebe acted the way she did with Gerald. Sure, love itself felt fabulous. But it was nothing compared to the fact that maybe, just maybe, he felt a little something back.

She managed to fall back to sleep, a smile plastered on her face as she clutched the phone to her heart.

***The following Friday***

Messages to Jace, a few more notes to James, working on her talent, scheming, homework, practicing, trying to not explode for the sheer length of the long minutes until this day. In other words, another blurred week spent in a whirlwind of ecstasy on Helga's part, and stress on her beloved. She could see all this pressure was wearing on him, and today was the day of reckoning. Well, sort of.

"So, how many people signed up?" she asked, shoving her books into the cramped locker. She noted she had a note taped to the door, and she shoved it in her pocket as Arnold took his place next to her, bags under his eyes. He still looked like and angel to her despite his lines.

"At least seventy. And it's horrible," the boy groaned, his head colliding with his locker.

"That bad?" She closed her locker and peered at Arnold, frowning. "You need any help or something?" she inquired, extnding her hand for his books. He sluggishly handed her the ones he no longer needed, and she swiftly did his combination and switched them out. She shook her head, thinking how sad it was that he looked like he was about to pass out on the lockers.

"I just…I mean," he sighed, giving her a small smile. "Yes, I need some help." She watched as he pushed himself up into a standing position, rifling through his backpack. "So many teachers are offering bonus points for this thing, so of course everyone signed up." He glanced up at her. "You signed up."

She grin devilishly. "What can I say? The stage, it loves me."

He shook his head, tugging at his red plaid shirt that Helga noted was off by a button, thus resulting in the crookedness he was trying to fix. "I didn't sleep," he explained, seeing the look she was shooting him. "I just have so much to think about. I have to watch everyone audition today, I've finally convinced Rhonda to tone down her decorating, and I've been trying to get Brainy to help me work out the bugs in the sound system."

"So what do you get?"

"Huh?"

"What do you get for doing all of this?" Helga asked bluntly, glaring at him with her baby blues. "What do you get for killing yourself over a stupid show?"

His eyes widened, his surprise evident. "I don't get anything. I just volunteered."

"But why?" Helga asked again, exasperatedly gesturing at the boy as they stood, oblivious to jostle and hustle and bustle around them

"Because I don't mind, and it takes a lot off other people. I mean, no one else-"

"You are just too nice," she moaned, pointing in the direction of his classroom. "March," she commanded. "Bell rings in about a minute. We have more to discuss."

The boy gave a pathetic laugh that evolved into a yawn. "Whatever you say Helga."

She shook her head as she watched him drag like a B-movie zombie. It was tragic.

"Geez," she hissed as she darted into her own class just as the bell began to ring.

Once in class, she opened the note and skimmed. The last few had dealt with her announcing her date and telling him to shove it. His response had said he expected a few report, and she had written back a sassy reply asking "Why was it any of his damn business?" The reply said:

_"Geraldine;_

_I like being right. No, I actually love being right, in my own way. Seldom am I wrong. I think I deserve a report simply due to the fact that, well, I'd like to see a happy reply from you from once. I think it'd be a nice change og pace. _

_James."_

She rolled her eyes, ignoring the announcements as she wrote:

"_James, _

_Still. Not. Your. Business. Frankly, I don't know why I even both to respond to you notes at all. It's like you're a stalker. It's creepy. I'm starting to think you're a little creepy, too. So, boo hoo._

_Geraldine"_

She signed with a flourish, tucking it away_. _She then opened her notes and tried to diligently pay attention to class, with minor success.


	12. Zero to Hero

I know this is outrageously short and it's probably not what you guys were wanting, but still, time progression and a bit of teaser until next time, which will be all the fun I had writing "the date" :D It's more of a throwback to the origin of the story. So look for that later this week...after I have my finals

In response to the review about "it's Legend," I wasn't sure anyone was still reading. But, if you are, then I'll try and have an update for that by next week :D Merry Christmas.

Took forever to find a quote that worked with this chapter...

* * *

**_We were so close! So close, we tripped at the finish line! Why? Because our little *nut*-Meg has to go all noble. _**

**~Hercules~**

Her morning classes, as usual, proved uneventful. She paid attention, somewhat, and attempted to take notes. Somehow or other the notes turned out to mostly be filled with scribbles and doodles and hearts of various shapes and sizes. It seemed very little from the actual classes had passed into her sensory register at all. Go figure.

When the bell finally rang to signal lunch, she let out a gigantic sigh accompanied by a loud, "Finally! Ugh!" She scooped up her bag and hastily jammed her notebook in it, her heart pounding. The day was dragging at such a pathetically slow rate that it was akin to a bullets speed in the Matrix. She felt she could literally hear every millisecond within the seconds ticking at a horrible slow rate. She was surprised she had managed to not go insane and gnaw on the corner of her desk in anticipation.

She slung her bag over her should, not issuing any apologies to the people she pushed out of her way as she marched into the hallway, sloppy pigtails swinging as she cleared herself a path to her locker, her boots pounding on the tile of the hallway. She made a brief stop to tape up her note to James before arriving at her own locker and hastily doing her combination, just shoving her entire bag inside, not bothering to sort her books out for later classes. She wanted to get to the lunch room as soon as possible. It wasn't like she couldn't just come back and get them later.

The lunchroom was already crowded by the time she arrived, the voices in a large mix of incomprehensible blabber that she cared nothing about. She spotted Phoebe and Gerald in the line together, Gerald loading his tray and Phoebe clutched her lunchbox and chatted with him. No matter how hard she tried, Phoebe couldn't get the disgust from her face as she watched her boyfriend load up. Helga glanced around the remaining students in line from her post by the door, feeling her stomach churn as she spotted Arnold at the back of the line talking to Sid, stifling a yawn as they slowly inched forward. Helga's stomach was suddenly fluttering like it had a school of fish playing tag inside of it, so she settled for a yahoo! from one of the machines in the cafeteria. She didn't fell like doing the antsy dance in the lane. She fished around in the pocket of her jeans, producing a few quarters, which she shoved into the machine, selecting the button with the bottle on it. She fished it out from the pit, popping the tab in her teeth, spitting it into the garbage can next to the machine.

"That's disgusting. Do you even know what could have been touching the top of that?"

Helga turned to peer over her shoulder, feeling a surge of hatred as she saw Jeanne toss her red locks over her shoulder, tapping her kitten heels against the scuffed tile.

"Well, are you going to move or what?" Jeanne whined, shifting her weight onto one leg as she sized up Helga. "Like you even need that soda anyway."

Helga felt her grip tighten on the soda can as she turned to face the girl, pressing her lips into a thin line as she stiffly held her soda. She was suddenly keenly aware she was wearing her combat boots with her faded blue jeans and a black long-sleeved shirt. Plain, but slouchy. Slouchy, but certainly not making her look overweight. She gritted her teeth before saying coolly, "I guess I need it just about as much as you do."

Jeanne's eyes widened for split second before she clamped her crimson lips in a pouty expression. "Oh come on, like you actually want to start something. Just run along and let me get my soda," the girl said disdainfully, waving her hand for Helga to move out of the way.

"Come on, Jeanne, we don't have all day," called a dark haired girl from a nearby table. "Hurry it up. We're thirsty!" The girl waved with her hand, signaling Jeanne to get over to the table.

"I would if Ms. Piggytails would step out of the way," the redhead whined again. "Come on blondie," she said as she directed her attention back on Helga, arms crossed. "I just want to get some sodas."

It was taking all of Helga's self control to not just dump the soda she had all over Jeanne's head, deflating her fluffed, lose curls. Helga didn't want to cause a scene in here on the off chance that Arnold might just see her from his position in the line, but she still didn't feel she could just let the girl get away. But if she did, then it would make the party all that much sweeter. She plastered a grin on her face, cocking her head to the side. She pointed at Jeanne with her free hand, "You know what, feel free to get your sodas. I know the seats here get hard, and even someone with an ass as big as yours needs to keep up the fluff." She took a sip of her own soda, then spun on her heel, marching over to the table where Phoebe and Gerald were sitting, each working on their meals. She slid into her usual chair, sipping on her soda for a moment.

"Hey Pheebs, tall hair boy. How's it going?"

"Oh, today is going quite well. I got all my homework for the weekend done last night, so I can practice my music tonight," Phoebe said, smiling as she sipped on her juice.

"I didn't," Gerald said, contorting his face into a frown. "So I got some work to do tonight, I guess."

"You mean you guys won't be hanging out?" Helga asked. She ran her finger around the rim of the can, watching for Arnold to appear.

"No, what it means it I'll just be doing homework at Phoebe's," Gerald said, smiling as he wrapped an arm around Phoebe, who giggled.

Helga suppressed a yelp as Arnold slipped into the seat beside her, sliding his tray onto the table. The bags under his eyes seemed even darker than earlier, and he was blinking like his eyes were having tiny seizures.

"Hey Arnold," the girl said, waving her hand in front of his eyes. "Wake up, you still got half of your day left."

The boy shook his head, glancing over at her. He mustered a tiny smile before poking at his food. "I'll make it through, I'm sure. I'll be fine."

"Don't lie, Arnoldo. I'm surprised you haven't just curled in an empty classroom for a snooze." She took a sip of soda, shrugging. "I know I would."

She looked over to see him with his head down on the table, his lips parted slightly, the breath he exhaled making the jell-o on the tray next to his face wiggle. Helga sighed, shaking her head. "I knew this would happened," she muttered aloud as she leaned on her fist. "Criminy. Poor kid."

Gerald and Phoebe both nodded, the group watching his steady breathing against the jell-o. Helga looked over at her friends, raising a brow as if to ask "Well, what now?"

Gerald gave her a thumbs before reaching over and taking the hamburger from Arnold's plate, biting into it with relish.

"Why can't I sign him out? Look at the poor kid, he can't even sit up," Helga challenged, pointing at Arnold, who was curled up on the nurses cot, a contented smile on his sleeping form. "He certainly can't walk. I had to drag his unconscious self in here."

The nurse shook her head, giving Helga an apologetic stare as she jotted a few things down in the notebook she had open on the desk. "I'm sorry sweety, but I can't let you sign him on. You're not a relative and you're not on his list of people with that power. I can let him sleep through his elective, but that's the most I can do. I really shouldn't even do that, but I think you're right about the sitting up."

"No, he needs all the sleep he can get! I can't have him all tuckered out like this," Helga countered, stamping her foot.

"Look, Honey, he'll be fine. He's not going to die for lack of sleep. If anything, you should calm down and go on back to class. You can see him after school."

Helga yelped as the woman gave her a push out the door, closing it firmly behind her. Helga sighed, leaning back on the door. How were they supposed to have a nice night when the boy couldn't even stay awake?


	13. Something there that wasn't there before

I finished my two finals yesterday and my lesson plan…so, in an outrageously fast update to show my extreme happiness, I present to you: The Date! :D I had so much fun writing, so enjoy!

I don't own Hey Arnold, Sterno, or Jiffy pop =) and no Disney

a/n went back and tried to get most of my typos...oops

* * *

**There may be something there that wasn't there before.~**

**Mrs. Potts  
**

Helga sighed again, still leaning against the door. Her poor beloved had tuckered himself out trying to carry the entire burden of the show on his shoulders. Like he really needed to be in charge of people who were only going to make fools of themselves. Oh, yeah. Wait. She was in the show too. A wave of guilt rushed over her as she realized she was just another thing added to his growing list of things that kept him awake at night.

She straightened up, straightening her slouchy shirt a bit as she plodded over to her locker. The hallway was empty now, and her footprints echoed like the dripping of water in a cave. She'd taken Arnold to the nurse's office as soon as lunch had ended and she realized all her pushing and talking to him was only making him burrow deeper down into the recesses of his arms. She had then, with a little help from Gerald, managed to haul him to the office. She'd assured Gerald she could handle it from there and sent him on his way. She frowned a bit as she arrived at her locker, finding it noteless. She shrugged it over, muttering to herself about how she didn't really care whether or not James wrote to her or not. She had other business to worry about.

As she spun the lock, she debated actually going to class or heading home. Either place she went, she'd just spend it worrying about Arnold. She knew his day was supposed to be spent holding auditions and then working on the tech set-up of the stage. At this rate, he'd be dead, so to speak, all day tomorrow. Their date would become non existent. The very idea made her breathing speed up. No, she would have her date and she would save Arnold stress. Slamming the locker shut, she took off down the hallway toward the Principal's office.

"Yes, come in, come in!" Principal Stewart called, ushering her in from his desk. He kept a literal open door policy, which made him all the more creepy considering his office was filled with over stuffed chairs and other knick knacks to make him seem "hip" and "Friendly". She plopped herself down in a large maroon chair, feeling herself sinking deeper into the cushion than she had expected. "Your name, dear?"

"It's Helga," she said, clutching the arms of the chair as it threatened to eat her. She squirmed.

"Cutting class, are we?" he said coolly, looking up from his desk. He adjusted his eyeglasses, peering at her over the rim.

"Oh, no sir!" the girl poured on sweetly. "I have an extracurricular emergency!" I have an emergency with this chair trying to swallow me alive as well, she though, feeling like she would soon be gasping for air.

At the thought of anything extracurricular, Mr. Stewart quickly straightened in his chair, adjusting his tie. "Extracurricular emergency, you say? Well dear, how can I help?"

"Arnold Shortman is in charge of the auditions for the talent show today," she explained, heaving herself up from the chair. "You see, he's got a bad case of the stomach flu that came on suddenly. He's in the nurses office right now. I was hoping I could take him home, and we move the auditions to Monday. I'm sure everyone would love the extra time to practice, and he can't go through class."

"And you think you should take him why?"

"Because-because I'm his-uh, his girlfriend," she breathed, just wanting to say it to someone, even if it was utterly off the wall and out of the blue. She couldn't think of any other reason besides, "I'm in love with him. I need him to be better for our date tomorrow. I'm selfish. I'm a friend. I'm so confused."

The man looked thoughtful before opening the drawer of his desk and rummaging through it, producing a small notepad. He carefully selected a pencil and scribbled a note on it, producing it to Helga with a flourish. "Of course you can take him home. I can't have my main talent show worker trying to work through it sick like that. Make sure he gets some fluids in him and tell him I expect him to be raring to go on Monday. Should I contact his parents?"

"No, don't worry. He lives with his grandparents, but they have day jobs and won't be home to after he gets out of school," she lied, making her eyes as wide as possible. She plastered a smile on her face as she clasped the note in front of her. "Oh thank you ever so much," she said cheekily, using her best Lila impression. She practically felt the flowers growing under her feet as she skipped from the office and into the hallway. She scanned over the note as she hightailed it back to the nurses office.

"I, Principal Stewart, give Helga permission to take Arnold Shortman home due to his illness." He had then sighed it with a flourish as well. She was thankful he wasn't the smartest guy around and was utterly clueless to many of the rules in place. It was only his first year after all.

She skidded to a halt, knocking ferociously on the nurses door.

"I'm coming, hold - oh!" the nurse gasped, pushing up her glasses as Helga pushed the note into her face.

"Give. Him. To. Me," the girl hissed slowly, watching as the woman plucked the note from Helga's fingers. She sighed, but went and filed it away on her desk.

"I guess he's lucky to have such a determined friend as you." She walked over to where the boy lay on the cot, breathing softly.

"Wake up, dear," she said gently, giving him a shake. Immediately, Arnold sat bolt upright, his mouth gasping like a fish that had been plucked from its bowl. "It's seven! Fourteen! Square roots!"

"No, no, dear. You're just going home," the nurse said soothingly as she patted him on the back. Helga watched as Arnold surveyed the room quickly, his eyes widening as he saw her leaning against the door frame. She couldn't help but smile at the way he looked so utterly clueless.

"Home?" he asked, confused.

"Come on Arnoldo, I'm walking you home so you don't get hit by a bus. That's not fun at all."

Arnold slid down from the table, stumbling for a bit before shaking his head. He ran his fingers through it, trying to straighten it a bit as he sluggishly walked to the door. Helga threw her arm around his waist, reveling in his scent as she felt him lean against her. She was thankful for reason to have this contact with her beloved, even if it was only due to his sleep deprivation.

"You need any books?" she asked gently, walking slowly with him toward their lockers.

He shook his head, frowning. "I don't think so. I got ahead on weekend work last night so I wouldn't have it over my head this weekend."

"I think you're just trying to kill yourself," Helga muttered, adjusting her hold on him as they bypassed the lockers and headed to the door. She pushed it open, bracing against the breeze the nuzzled their faces.

"Wait!" Arnold gasped, eyes widening a bit. "I can't leave. I've got auditions and-"

"Nope."

"Huh?"

"I said nope."

"What are you-?"

"I rescheduled all your stuff until Monday. I briefly thought about holding them myself, but I knew if you found out they were still today, you would have found a way in."

She smiled at the relief that flooded over Arnold's face, and she felt a warmth at knowing she had done something right.

"So this means you are to go home and sleep. As much as you need to," she instructed, watching his feet as they plodded down the steps, their feet shuffling the snow around.

"I don't have the strength to argue against you," he said, giving her a weary smile. "And Helga?"

"Yeah?"

"You're a great friend. I don't know where I'd be without you right now."

"Still asleep on the table," she joked, feeling her heart grow a bit heavy at the term 'friend'. Just friends. Not his girlfriend. "Come on, we're taking the bus."

It took a bit of shuffling to get to the bus stop, and a bit of tugging to get on and off the bus. By the time they made it to the boarding house she was desperate for a wheelchair. She could feel her scrawny frame moaning.

"Why the hell do you guys have all these steps?" she moaned as they managed to make it up to Arnold's room. She pushed open the door, and with the little strength he could muster, Arnold leaped onto his bed, a contented sigh escaping.

"I shouldn't have forsaken you," he breath dramatically, burying his face in the pillow.

Helga laughed, crossing her arms and she walked over to the bed, tossing her hair over her shoulder as she knelt beside the bed, peering at him. "Hey Arnoldo," she said gently.

"Yes, Super G?" he muttered from the pillow, peering out at her, his green eyes already clouding with sleep.

"Sleep well, okay?"

"Mmmm," he sighed, sinking deeper into the pillow.

She shook her head, biting her lips as she stood back up, crossing her arms over her chest as she watched his body rise and fall with the steady breathing. She reached on the shelf over his bed and pulled off a small throw blanket, covering him with it.

"Sleep well, love," she muttered, slipping out the door.

* * *

Once home, she slid into her own bed, feeling a nap couldn't do much harm. She woke close to two-thirty. She sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes before sliding off the bed. She thought about changing clothes, but discarded the idea. She wouldn't be going anywhere tonight, so why bother. She slid into the chair at her desk, waiting as the computer slowly booted up. She fiddled with the end of her pigtail, jumping as she heard the ding! of an Im.

_"Hey laaaady!"_

She smiled, noting the message from Jace. She quickly typed, _"Hey miiiiiister. What's the news?"_

"_Same same. Mom got approved for next weekend off, so I am super pumped for our time together. Just think, we can be like an old married couple! I'm so excited I could just pee."_

"_You scare me."_

"_I scare most people." _A pause. "_So anydoots Hellie bun, I need directions to your house. Mom says she'll lend me the car and I can drive down that Friday and meet up with you. Mapquest me, biatch."_

"_You're such a little girl."_

"_Correction. I'm a big girl."_

She laughed, quickly sending him the coordinates. She'd wondered when they'd started im-ing if they'd establish an actual friendship. After a year and a half, she discovered that they had the same college in mind, both wanted to pursue English, that he lived four hours away, and he was prone to curvy straws. All this worked just fine with her, and it was nice to talk to someone who didn't really know the people you talked about.

"_Thanks Hellie Bun! I think I have your number somewhere. I'll call you up later this week. I've gotta go now, though. I've got to make sure my wardrobe is killer for the trip."_

She shook her head, closing the message box. She logged onto some of her regular sites, killing time so she wouldn't have her brain drip out of her ears from pure boredom.

She jumped as her phone began to vibrate from beside her, and she glance at the computer, seeing it was six already. She pulled her shades up, revealing a beautiful twilight. She turned back to her phone, flipping it open.

"_Can you stop by? I know it's short notice, but I need help with some important decisions." _It was from Arnold's number.

"_Yeah, be by in a few,"_ she responded, already at the door. She grabbed her jacket from the hook, sliding it on. She took the steps two at a time, calling, "I'll be home in a few. If you care!" She stepped out into the cold, slamming the door behind her. She felt the cold greet her enthusiastically, causing her to pull the jacket up around her neck and ears. She heard the snow crunch as she plodded toward the boarding house. It took a chunk of minutes, but she didn't mind. She was glad that Arnold was feeling better, so she assumed, and liked the familiar feeling of walking to his house on Friday nights. One at the door, she gave three loud knocks.

Arnold's grandpa swung the door open, a grin spreading across his face. "Hey, Shortman! It's your friend with the eyebrow!"

Helga rolled her eyes at the term. "Send her up!" Arnold called down.

"Glad to see your back!," the older gentleman commented. "It has been quiet."

"Missed you too," she said with a laugh, letting her legs take the familiar path around the stairs and up to Arnold's room. She gave one sharp knock before pushing the door open.

"So what's the decision? I mean, I'm not too good at this stuff, but I'll help."

"I need you to pick a movie," the boy said, pointing to about three laid out on the bed.

She felt her cheeks warm up as she let her eyes scan over the titles. _Beauty and the Beast_, _The Little Mermaid, _and _Mulan._ "Why?"

"No questions," Arnold instructed. "When you're done, meet me up on the roof," he instructed as he slid himself onto the fire escape. She caught at glimpse of his shoes disappearing on the rungs. With a breath, she grabbed _Beauty and the Beast_ and followed suit, closing the window behind her.

"What the hell are you thinking?" she whined, dragging herself onto the roof. "It's freaking cold."

She frowned as Arnold laughed from his position in front of her. "You just have to sit in the right spot. Come on," he instructed, waving his hand for her to follow. She shook her head, teeth chattering as she followed him to the other side of the little house area, as she called it. The one with the official door to the attic. She gasped suddenly, not noticing as the movie slid from her cold fingers and clattered against the ground. In a large semicircle, heaters where arranged, their orange glow bright against the now black sky. The rest of the roof was covered in snow, but in the midst of their glow was a dry and clear spot. In the spot rested two inflatable chairs covered in blankets, between the two a tiny sterno can and jiffy pop containers. She felt her feet moving her over to the middle of the heaters. She felt her mouth drop as the previews from the movie were projected against the wall.

"I-I don't-" she stammered, spinning to face the boy who was leaning against the table where the projector sat, the case she had dropped sitting open beside it.

"You like it?" he asked, a large smile on his face.

"Why did you do this?"

"I figured we could attempt to have this date a little early. Thanks to an amazing person, I happen to just have a Friday night that's free."


	14. The best of friends

I have got to be one of the worst updaters on here :/ Anyway, having spent my entire work shift today decorating the store for Valentines day, I figured it's a good day to get out this flawkward chapter to the masses :D Enjoy.

I also found myself using a line from "It's Legend." I feel like my stories have some continuity. Ha!

P.S. TO SRHtheHedehog, I happened to just see your review as I pulled up my story. Hopefully you no longer hate me.

TO moonrabbits: thanks so much for the encouragement. I read yours awhile back, and that made me start thinking I needed to get this next chapter done!

* * *

The past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it, or learn from it.  
-The Lion King

For a moment, the girl stood speechless, mouth agape and eyes wide as she peered at the screen flickering in front of her, the familiar previews flashing across. Her heart was pounding so loud it threatened to smash completely through her rib cage. If it didn't break through with it's pounding, then the swelling up of adoration and love that was making her heart seem to grow would. She felt a prickling at the edges of her eyes, and she quickly blinked it away. It was the nicest thing she could think of that had even been done for her.

"Why the hell would you do something so nice without consulting me first?" she whined, whirling to face him and adding a stomp for good measure. She had to blink again, glaring at him as she spoke.

Heat flushed her face as he just laughed from his position behind the projector, the slight huskiness it had obtained with age making her stomach flutter. Her hands, clenched into fists at her side, shook.

"Just shut up and watch the movie," he instructed, giving a crooked smile that set her already ecstasy filled heart more ablaze. His green eyes flashed in amusement as he watched. He simply raised an eyebrow and directed her with a motion of his head to one of the seats.

Helga drew her brows together, meeting his gaze and she slowly plodded over and sunk into the chair. "But remember," she clarified, unable to contain the smile, "No funny business. I'm not that kind of girl."

Arnold laughed, removing himself from his post beside the projector and crouching down next to the sterno can. "Believe me," he replied, "I like it better that way."

It took a bit of fiddling with the can before it finally offered up any heat, and the boy quickly put the popcorn on the little stand he put above the flames. He shook it a bit, then leaned back on his heels, titling his head as he observed.

"I'm going to be honest," he said, his face deadpan. "I have never used this type of popcorn. I done microwave and the air popped, but not stove top. Do I have do anything?"

Helga's eyebrows shot up as she peered over him. "You serious?"

"Yeah?"

"You didn't read the instructions, did you?"

A slight flush crept onto his cheeks as he looked up at her, his expression sheepish. "They have instructions?" He looked thoughtful before the realization came to him. "It was on the little cardboard disk, wasn't it?" he commented. "Ah."

"Why'd you buy it, then?" she asked, sliding down onto her knees across the little flame.

"We always have popcorn," Arnold stated, giving her a look as if say it was the most obvious explanation ever. He grasped the small wire handle, giving it a small, experimental shake. "They guy at the store said it was great for this sort of stuff."

Helga rolled her eyes, brushing back some of her loose hair from her eyes before scooting closer to him and intercepting the handle. "You're not doing it right."

For a brief moment, his hand rested on the handle, her hand resting perfectly on top. Their hands lingered for a moment longer than normal, and she felt a spark of something inside of her. That this could really be something. She dared a glance over to find him looking at her, his expression something she wasn't accustomed to. At least, not directed at her.

Arnold opened his mouth to speak, but was cut of by the sound of a tint explosion beneath the foil. The look quickly evaporated and he withdrew his hand.

Helga moaned and cursed inwardly as she took up the task of vigorously shaking the container, the explosions beginning to follow each other in a more rapid succession. She laughed at Arnold's expression of pure enjoyment.

"Look at it grow!"

"It does tend to do that," Helga teased, giving the popcorn one final shake before removing it from the heat. Steam was rising from the tiny hole at the top, and she reached above her ear and withdrew a bobby pin she had stuck there and on a whim and tore two slits in the shape on an X, folding them back.

"Viola. Popcorn."

"Once again, you come to the rescue," he said in on offhand manner, pushing himself up and heading over to where he had the projector. From the snow circle around them, he plucked two Yahoo soda cans an procured a remote before falling into the chair. He extended a can to Helga, then with his other hand hit the play button on the remote. Helga allowed herself to plaster a large happy grin on her face as she sat down, popping the soda top. She took a sip, knowing the warmth wasn't just from the heaters. As the movie began, and the notes of the first song played, she felt an extreme since of comfort and happiness. She was on a date with Arnold, so to speak. So maybe they weren't in public at some fancy restaurant and they weren't dressed in their Sunday best, but she honestly didn't feel she could be any happier than she was as this moment. They fell into their normal rhythm, singing the songs when they felt like it, quoting when the urge caught them, and enjoying each others company.

"I hate guys like that," Arnold mused as he tossed one of the pieces into his mouth as they watched Gaston being serenaded in the tavern. "Guys with egos like that drive me up the wall."

Helga watched, nodding in response as she sipped on her soda.

"And those three girls that follow him, swooning like that and following him around like that? Desperate, and a bit moronic," he added, casually tossing another piece into his mouth. Helga felt herself splutter a bit on her soda, causing Arnold to look over with a worried expression as she coughed and rubbed her mouth with her sleeve.

"You okay?"

"What do you mean desperate and moronic?"

"Just that they follow him all day and I don't think they ever actually told him to his face that they were crazy about him. Just singing in the shadows and showing up all over the place." He shrugged.

"But maybe they're afraid he'd just reject them."

"Well, if they don't say anything, it's not like they can blame anyone but themselves." He looked over at her, still worried a bit. "You seem a little worked up. Are you feeling okay? Get something in your throat?"

She shook her head, feeling embarrassed suddenly. Maybe one of those girls wrote poetry and had locks of Gaston's hair stuck up in her room somewhere. That wasn't creepy. Just devoted. Arnold couldn't be creeped out by devotion.

"Maybe they're just devoted. They just want to be with him," she retorted, eyes wide as she looked over.

"Okay. But there's still a line between devotion and being creepy. See, Belle and the Beast start things off normally. So maybe he's mean at first, but they get over it and have a relationship that doesn't include the creepy desperation. The Beast is pretty mature about it. It's not like he has some Belle shrine after she leaves."

"You're dissecting motivations of a cartoon movie," she squeaked forcing a laugh as she looked away. "It's all no big deal."

"Touche," he laughed, reaching down and meeting her hand hovering over the popcorn. He gave it a quick squeeze in silence before directing his attention back to the movie. But she wondered if he'd still be laughing when he found out she had had multiple shrines as well as volumes of poetry about him. If they continued on this path, would she have to tell him? Could she? After all, she loved him with every fiber in her being. But all the love in the world couldn't make things work out as planned all the time. She shoved the thought down inside of her as quickly as it had surfaced. It was her night, and she'd be down if she let those thoughts ruin it for her again.


	15. Wishing

I am a worm, a worthless worm! It's been months now…Like, I a full school semester…oh my goodness…I'm am so sorry…but, I kept telling myself I needed to write…so motivated for the future Jace chapter…Just gotta get over this time gap…uuuugh!

Alright, here we go, Let's do this!

* * *

**You're not getting cold fins now, are you? – Ariel in The Little Mermaid**

Helga stared at the ceiling, her eyes wide and well adjusted to the dark at this point. Her hands were folded casually over her chest, and she was tucked meticulously in her covers. The moonlight filtered through her window in a soft glow, creating small shadows for imaginary creatures to lurk in all around her. Despite all the preparation she had taken for sleeping once leaving Arnold's, she could not seem to make her eyes feel the least bit heavy. She couldn't get them to cooperate and close for more than a few seconds. Every time they met she saw apocalyptic visions of Arnold and herself as he panicked about her 'creepy' devotion she had harbored for him. After the conversation of the night had drifted to lighter topics, she felt like her locket that held their pictures was burning a hole in her chest.

Things had gone smoothly along as the subject changed, though Arnold surely didn't notice the rough patch. They had enjoyed the movie, finished their popcorn, discussed whether to still go out to dinner the following night, and concluded with an awkward handshake to top of the evening. Overall, it was her prefect dream. But oh how dreams evolve into nightmares of epic proportions.

She rolled to her side, her hair falling around her in soft perfumed waves from the shower she had immediately taken upon getting home. She washed, rinsed, and repeated. She'd even used conditioner and taken time to blowdry. Done mundanely boring things and here she wasn't the least bit sleepy at all. She sighed. She was in for a looooong night.

The sun was streaming in full blast when opened her eyes, but the clock said it was only eight thirty. Somewhere in the night she managed to squeeze in a few hours, but it did nothing to make her feel any less like she'd been run over by a truck. She pushed herself up from the bed and placed her feet on the floor, leaning over to rest her elbows on her knees. She was supposed to be meeting Arnold at six, but the excitement was significantly dampened from it's previous state. She shuffled up to a standing position and laboriously drug herself over to the computer. She plopped down and sighed. Should she tell Phoebe? Maybe she should just email Jace. After all, he wasn't biased. But then again, Phoebe had a spent much more time with her and knew her about as well as anyone could. Helga gave another resigned sigh before reaching over to pick up her phone, quickly dialing Phoebe's number. After a few rings, a familiar voice filled the line.

"Hey, Pheebs."

"Good Morning, Helga! Something on your mind? You're usually asleep till close to new on Staurdays."

"I couldn't sleep."

"Something wrong?"

"I'm not sure," Helga admitted, turning the speaker button on and placing the phone on the desk as she turned her attention to twisting strands of hair around her finger.

"Perhaps you want to talk about it? Something with Arnold?"

"We had a sort of date last night-" Helga began.

"That's wonderful!" Phoebe interrupted with delight, her smile practically transferring over the line.

"But," Helga forged on, "He kind of got into a discussion about how much devotion is too much, and I'm way off the scale of too much."

"Oh."

Helga groaned, leaning back in the chair. She'd finally confided in Phoebe about her collection of items. She'd talked to Dr. Bliss about them before, but she'd assured Helga that as long it wasn't hurting anyone, then they were okay. It was just about expression, and Helga was juts unique in the way she expressed herself. At least towards another person.

"Well, it's not like you are as extreme as you once were," Phoebe said gently, breaking Helga's thoughts, "It's not like you'd need to bring it up anytime soon."

"I still write," Helga confessed meekly, pressing her lips into a pout as she once again adjusted in the chair.

"But that's fine," Phoebe assured her. "Lots of people write poetry as a form of expression. There isn't anything wrong with you. You're a perfect you."

"Thanks Phoebe," the blonde said, allowing a half smile before bidding her friend goodbye and hanging up the phone. Phoebe was right, after all. It wasn't like she needed to bring that up anytime soon. She'd matured, and that was the important thing. She nodded her head to emphasize her agreement with herself before plodding over to her closet and getting dressed for the day.

It was still cold when she headed out, but the snow had ceased to fall. The leftovers from the night before were packed from early morning footsteps and vehicles, but the ice still crunched underfoot. She'd opted for a lighter jacket, her hands thrust in the pockets and she walked down the mostly deserted street. She wasn't sure where she was headed, but she'd placed her wallet in her pocket and figured she'd take the bus for a bit. As she plodded toward the bus stop, a poster stapled to a lamp post caught her attention.

"Rummage sale, Saturday. Eight until -" she read aloud, skimming over the address. She mulled it over before consenting it might be something fun to do, considering she was just roaming around like a hoodlum anyway. As she walked, her tummy gave a mighty rumble, causing her to quickly try to unsuccessfully shush it by wrapping her jacket around her self. She quickly whipped her head from side to side, scanning the area to make sure no one was in the vicinity.

"Okay, food first. Then we explore the junk market," she muttered to herself as she scanned the area again, this time to see what was nearby in the terms of food. She noted that she had subconsciously, as usual, managed to trek near the boarding house. She paused, brushing back her loose hair as it whipped around in the light breeze that had picked up. She pulled it back with both hands, giving it a quick twist and pulling it over her shoulder. She could hear the noise of the boarders as they gathered for breakfast, and she smelled bacon. She winced as he stomach protested once again, demanding they move forward. She placed a hand over it as if to shush it. "I know," she snapped, looking down and frowning. "Behave."

"Helga! Who're you talking to? You're out early."

She threw her arms up as a barrage of animals sailed around her out into the street, not really stopping to pay attention. At the voice, tiny alarm bells went of in her mind, but she shushed the. "Good Morning to you too, Arnoldo."

"Morning Helga," he replied with a laugh from his position at the door. She looked up and couldn't help but smile at the casually disheveled boy in front of her with black flannel pants and a worn gray T-shirt.

"Nice Pjs."

He shrugged in response, returning her smile. "Where you heading?"

"I was just going to get breakfast," she explained, nodding her head in the direction she had been walking. "Then to the Rummage Sale, or whatever."

"Rummage Sale?"

"People with stuff…to rummage through. I don't really know, but it seemed better than sitting at home."

"Come on Shortman, we're about to eat!"

Arnold turned his attention back to the interior of the house to call back, "Coming Grandpa!" He quickly turned back to Helga and inquired, "Would you like to come in? Grandma makes plenty and if you were going to eat anyway, I thought-"

"No, I'd hate to impose. I'll just-"

"Hey grandma, can I have a guest for breakfast?" the boy called, seeming to ignore her protests and hand waving from the steps.

"The more the merrier!"

"Come on," he said with a gesture, and she hesitantly climbed the steps and followed him inside. The aroma of eggs and bacon mixed with coffee slammed into her as she entered the kitchen beside him, the room filled with faces she recognized and she newer ones she was getting to know. She'd met most of them at some point or other when she'd frequented the house on weekends. Many of the tossed a "Hi Helga!" her way as Arnold pulled up an empty chair and Pooki went about fixing her a plate that was hastily passed down her way. She peered around, noting how everyone was already digging in, so she followed suit. The food was delicious, considering how rarely she got home cooked meals, specially breakfast.

"So where's this sale at?" Arnold inquired from beside her as he prepared toast with the various jams and jellies.

"It's near where Dino land used to be. I think it's for a church or something," she replied before sipping some of the orange juice that she had been given.

"Oh, cool. It's Phoebe going with you?"

"No, just me. I mean, I hadn't really asked her. It was a spur of the moment thing." She pushed her hair back from where it was gravitating toward the jelly on the piece of toast Arnold placed on her plate.

"Oh. Well did you want someone to go with you? We could see what everyone's up to a do a group."

"Oh, uh, sure," she managed, trying not to sputter her orange juice. This was the only time the prospect of a full day with Arnold made her feel nervous, and not in a good way.


	16. Cruella Deville

Okay, still a bit short, but I at least tried to get an update in. This time gap area here is giving me such a writers block. I've got from the talent show auditions till the end planned out, but my mind just isn't wanting to fill the time gap. So that means if you want to see something put in, drop a line. I'll consider it ! :D

* * *

_**She's a female! And all females is poison! They're full of wicked wiles! -Snow White**_

Helga found herself tapping her feet nervously as she sat on the edge of Arnold's bed. He had gone to take a shower and change for the outing. He talked her into calling Phoebe, and he'd called Gerald, who had agreed to go once he heard Phoebe was. Word had gotten out somehow or other and Helga had received a text from Rhonda demanding to know why she hadn't been invited on the outing, to which Helga had snappishly told her it was a free country and she could damn well invite whoever she pleased. This had been countered with Rhonda promising to show up anyway with friends of her own. Here Helga was now, twenty minutes later, regretting having stumbled on the stupid sign in the first place. She sighed darkly, pushing her hair back from her face. She had put it in her normal pigtails earlier, but she had since undone them while Arnold was in the shower and was occupying herself by playing with the ponytail holders.

She directed her attention as the door opened and Arnold strode in, rubbing a towel over his hair haphazardly. He discarded the towl on the floor as he turned. He paused, and she flushed as he seemed to suddenly scan her outfit for the day. "I like your hair that way. I'm sure I've told you," he said casually as he extracted on over-shirt from the closet as well as a jacket.

"I think you have. Once or twice," she commented casually as she wrapped a bit around her finger. Actually, it had been about nine times throughout the years. Not that she was counting or anything.

"You hear back from Rhonda?" he inquired casually, plopping down on the bed beside her and pulling on his sneakers.

She took a slight intake of breath as his cologne assaulted her, his arms warm where they brushed against the exposed flesh of her own arm. _Stop being so damn creepy, _she scolded herself. "Uh, yeah. I did. She's bringing Nadine and Sheena along. Of course they'll probably bring someone as well." Helga shrugged, flipping her hair back over her shoulder. "What ya gonna do?"

She glanced over to see Arnold shaking his head with a smile. A chuckled escaped as he pushed himself up, sliding into his jacket. Helga followed suit, sliding into her own.

"I'll drive," he offered, taking his keys from a peg near the door.

The rummage sale was indeed hosted by a church organization, and was made up of donations from a large collection of families in the area. There were rows and row of cards tables set up within the fenced in area, each one littered with an assortment or odds and ends. So far Helga found herself carrying around some old Disney VHS's, which she managed to keep hidden under her jacket. Arnold had agreed to go in with her on the old VCR they had found as well. He had it tucked under his arm along with some random action figures from some show Helga didn't really care to watch. She shrugged.

"The hell is this?" Helga laughed, picking up what looked to be broken ceramic mask from the table they were passing. It had a crack across the forehead, a chip in the chin. She held it up to her face, turning to face the boys and Phoebe. It appeared to be one of the old Mardi Gras style masks, with the bright painted lips and eye shadow.

"I'd call in an improvement," Gerald joked, receiving a glare from Helga in return as she slid the mask back into its spot. The boy laughed, slipping his arm around Phoebe's waist and guiding her to another nearby table. Helga shook her head. Boys. Relationships. Bah. The others had arrived soon after she and Arnold, with Rhonda and the rest pulling up moments later. Rhonda looked disgusted as the group around her sifted through the mass of old clothes on hangers and artifacts on tables. It was obvious she wasn't aware this was what she was getting into.

"Poor little miss Princess," Helga scoffed, rolling her eyes as she scanned over the table, her hands in her pockets. "Having to mingle with the commoners." She heard Arnold chuck as he shook his head, walking around her. From behind her, Arnold reached around her, shifting some thing on the table. She could feel his hair tickling against her face, and it took all her composure to not melt into the snow.

"Except for the poor part," he replied, shrugging. "Oh cool, comics!"

"Well well, what's this?"

Helga felt Arnold stiffen next to her, his hand frozen between lifting one of the books off the table.

"Hello Rhonda," he replied, withdrawing his hand and turning to face the girl who stood behind them. Helga turned as well, surprised to feel Arnold place his fingers against the small of her back. She glanced over quickly. He looked a little stiff, and she wondered the reason.

"Well, isn't this nice?" the raven haired girl cooed, clasping her hands in front of her. She looked every bit as demonic as her red fur coat seemed to suggest. Helga could feel herself start to bristle as well.

"What's nice?" she asked smoothly.

"Why, you two of course. As the little couple. I mean, it's all anyone's been talking about. I mean, everyone was so shocked Arnold chose you, Helga. I mean, in class he and Jeanne seemed the perfect image of a couple."

Helga felt Arnold's hand twitch against her back. She took a deep breath, trying to keep her rage from boiling over. She knew how Rhonda was. How she picked at anything just to see it bleed. If she wasn't interested in anything around her, she turned to her carefully aimed comments. And boy was she aiming her shots with an eagle eye.

"Always being study partners, her sending him little notes. So cute."

"Jeanne and I aren't a couple," Arnold said carefully, his voice even as he met Ronda's gaze.

"I was asking about you and Helga. Are you?" she countered. It was clipped short, and her eyes were now trained on Helga's.

"N-no, we aren't-" he faltered.

"Okay. Because if I was dating you, I'd be outraged to know you were paying for some other girl's birthday party. Especially one whom I barely know."

Helga kept her face calm. If Rhonda had thought to catch Helga off guard with this news, then she was just going to have to be sorely mistaken. Helga raised her eyebrow as she responded calmly, "That's the great thing about having friends. You don't have to worry about petty stuff like that."

"Oh, so you're just friends?" Rhonda continued, her eyes glittering with a new fire. Helga immediately wanted to reach out and grab the words from the air and shove them back in her mouth. She watched Rhonda's eyes flick to Arnold's hand and back. "Did you cancel the date? You know, people don't look to kindly on friends with benefits around here. Don't worry, I won't tell," she explained, smiling as she lowered her voice. "Our secret?"

"It's not a secret if it's not true. We still have a date tonight," Arnold said casually, meeting Rhonda's gaze again. Helga wanted desperately to punch the other girl in the jaw and send her on her way, but she didn't want to cause a scene. At least not here. She felt her fingers itching to curl into a fist, but she splayed them out against her sides.

"Oh. So you two _are _considering the couple thing. That's great considering how Helga's been head over heels for you forever now it seems."

Helga hadn't been expecting a remark like that and it took her off guard. She could tell from the glint in Rhonda's eyes that it had been a shot in the dark, but she'd hit the bull's-eye. She'd pull the arrow out in the messiest way possible.

"Didn't you know?" Rhonda shifted her stance, honing in on Arnold who was beginning to look uncomfortable. He took a step back as Rhonda inched forward. "You had to. It was so obvious. She'd just brighten up whenever you said of name, or someone mentioned you around her. It was cute."

"Rhonda, come look at this!" Nadine called, holding up a vintage fashion magazine from three tables away. "It's totally you."

"Tootles," Rhonda said with a large smile and a wave, weaving off around the tables.

"Helga," Arnold began from beside her, pulling his hand away. "Look-"

"I'd rather we not talk about it," she snapped, spinning on her heel and stalking away from the table. She heard the snow crunch beneath her feet, almost muffling Arnold making a hastily apology to Gerald and Phoebe who had thankfully missed the whole ordeal. She didn't slow as she heard Arnold jog to keep up with her as she pushed open the wooden gate surrounding the area. She stomped out onto the sidewalk, her hands balled into fists out her side. She wanted to punch something, anything. She let out a growl.

"Helga, wait!"

"Why should I?"

"Why are you mad at me?" Arnold inquired, jogging in front of her and stopping. He looked at her with concern, his green eyes flickering over her face.

"I'm not mad at you, Arnoldo. It's just Rhonda. Sometimes she - she makes me so- Arrgh!" she seethed, throwing her head back and stomping her foot. "She's such a brat."

"Don't let anything she says get to you," Arnold said with a shrug. "You know that's how she's always been."

"But she just doesn't let up. One day I'm going to just haul off and knock her teeth out."

"Hey Helga?"

"Yeah?"

"There's….there's not anything you want to talk to me about is there?" he asked, casting his gaze down to the sidewalk. He pushed a bit of the snow around with the tip of his sneaker. "Anything you need to get off your chest?"

Helga froze, grimacing. She didn't want to talk about any of it, especially not out here in the open. Hopefully not for months or years. That stuff was all for when she was ready to share it on her own and not because Rhonda was a jerk.

"Yeah, there is something I want to get off my chest," she said as she rolled her eyes. Arnold looked up expectantly, only to be disappointed when Helga continued with, "I really need to get rid of these boobs. Gosh, they're just so heavy!"

Arnold's laugh resounded loudly through the air, clear as the snow. "Be serious!"

"I am! Oh, and these movies!" she remembered suddenly, hitting the side of her head with her palm. "I really should pay for these."

Arnold just shook his head. "I worry about you."

"I have a condition Arnoldo."


	17. So this is Love

Thanks to you guys for sticking with me through this! I know it's been slow going on my part, but I'm going to do better. I've actually outlined out the next five chapters…so you may be getting weekly updates from me. We'll see! :D (p.s. Apparently outlining gets you longer chapters, too XD)

I've been looking forward to writing this chapter. Hope you enjoy it as well!

**_"You'll be surprised what you can live through." -Iago (Return of Jafar)_**

Helga drummed her fingers on her legs, tapping out the rhythm to the music that poured from Phoebe's speakers. After leaving the rummage sale, Phoebe and Arnold had switched passengers. Gerald was riding back with Arnold, whereas Phoebe has pleaded with Helga to allow herself to be treated to Mani/Pedi's and a new outfit. Phoebe hadn't realized today was 'the date.'

"It's not big deal," Helga had said casually as she buckled herself in, despite how the thought made her cheeks flush. "Just a date."

"Not 'a' date, 'the date'!" Phoebe had corrected her. The shorter girl took a few moments to rearrange her mirror and seats from Gerald having drove the car earlier. "I know you've been imaging this day for a while now. Why not go out all? Have fun with it?"

Helga had agreed, finally. Now she was peering at the windows of a nail salon, completely virgin to how this experience would go. She followed Phoebe across the parking lot, her hands shoved into her pockets. The snow had been melting since early this morning, and it was settling in to a mushy and dirty state.

The bell on the door tinkled merrily, and an older Asian woman greeted them happily from the desk.

"Hello! I can help you?"

"Yes, please!" Phoebe answered, taking charge. This was fine by Helga. She noted the place smelled faintly of acetone with a hint of polish. For some reason, the smell reminded her of Olga's room whenever she had gotten ready for date. The blond wrinkled her nose.

"Take a seat this way," the woman instructed, pointing to two open tables nearby. A young African American girl sat at one table, while the woman who had been at the counter took a seat at the one next to her. There were no other customers in the store, meaning they were getting prompt treatment. Phoebe seated herself across from the older woman, so Helga took the empty seat with the younger girl. She had a nametag with the name "Serenity" scrawled in curly writing.

"What can I do you for?" she asked, clearing a space. She tapped the table with her own elaborately painted nails, and Helga got the picture, quickly opening her hands and placing them down on the table. "Not leaving me much to work with, are you," the girl muttered, arching her eyebrows.

"Gotta have a challenge every now and then," Helga replied coolly. "Phoebe, what am I getting?"

"French tips, please," Phoebe responded, already watching at the woman in front of her began to coat her fingers. They soon began talking in a language Helga didn't understand. The woman was nodding animatedly, obviously glad to have someone to converse with. Helga knew Phoebe was doing it because she understood this, but Helga still wished she could understand the conversation.

"It sucks, but you get used to it," the girl in front of her shrugged, her voice slightly muffled by the mask she had slid over her mouth. Helga just nodded, studying the girl in front of her. She had even, dark skin and high cheekbones that were perfectly complimented by her short hair. It was no longer than a few centimeters, and was a light blondish color. Overall, the girl made a stunningly beautiful picture. Except for the mask.

"You look familiar," Helga pointed out, watching as some magical illusion known only to a select few began to make glossy nails take shape on her fingers. "You go to school here?"

"I do," the girl replied, dipping her brush into a powdery substance. "I'm at the local college. You look familiar too. I think I had a class with you. I graduated last year."

Helga searched the girls face, but merely shrugged. "Maybe. I really don't pay that much attention."

The girl glanced up, nodding. "I remember you. Creative writing? Fifth period, Shoobert. You're the last person I expected to see here. Special occasion?"

"First date," she replied, her smile growing despite her attempts to keep it in check. She felt the familiar butterflies start to flutter.

"Really now?" the girl replied, her eyes sparkling. "Well, going all out then aren't we?"

"If I'm going to go down, might as well go while going all out."

* * *

Helga sat calmly in the chair in front of her vanity. It was nearing 5:20, leaving her just twenty minutes until Arnold was supposed to pick her up. The plan was to go get dinner, then a stroll in the park. He had gotten reservations at one of the more poplar places in town, and they had to be there by six to get their seats.

Phoebe had taken her to the mall after their round of manicures and pedicures, much to Helga's annoyance. However, Phoebe pointed out that the money spent on the pedicure would be pointless if she didn't have a good pair of peep-toed shoes to wear them with. When the situation had been explained to the sales girl, she'd erupted into giggles and brought Helga what felt like hundreds of shoes and outfits to match. They'd eventually settled on a pair of black heels to go with a knee length light pink dress with a black a sash. When Helga pointed out the similarities to her elementary school days, Phoebe shrugged and suggested that might be the reason why it suited her as perfectly as it did. The bodice was form fitting with a sweetheart neckline, the skirt full but still reserved.

To compliment the outfit, Phoebe had lightly dusted Helga's eyelid with a matching shadow and had given her a few coats of mascara. Helga had never been much for make-up, but she did like the slight amount of difference it made overall. To top it off, Phoebe was working to turn Helga's normally straight hair in soft curls. She was just finishing up, placing the curling iron on the vanity, switching it off.

"Helga, you look wonderful!" she complimented, smiling widely. "I'm sure you'll keep his attention with no trouble."

Helga felt a nervous smile coming on. Her stomach was churning and she'd never been really graceful in heels, but she hoped to Heaven and back she cold pull it off without embarrassing herself. "Thanks Pheebs. For everything."

"What're friend for?" Phoebe responded with a laugh, giving a few final fluffs to Helga's hair. "Well, I'm going to head out. Call me tonight, okay? Let me know how it goes."

Helga simply nodded, standing up a bit shakily. She followed Phoebe down the stairs, waving goodbye as the girl slid into her car, waving back. Just as Phoebe disappeared around the corner, she saw Arnold's old truck pulling up by the sidewalk. She grinned widely, placing her hands on her hips as she watched him park the old clunker and step out.

He looked as good as humanly possible and then some to her, wearing dark black jeans and a white button down shirt. His hair was disheveled as always, but she didn't care. He looked absolutely perfect to her.

"So, you decided to show up?" she teased, taking a cautious step down the stairs of the stoop.

"Of course, I couldn't just - I mean- wow," he managed, eyes wide as he stared at her. He blinked, shaking his head as he rubbed the back of his neck. "You look great."

"Just something I had lying around," she joked, grinning as she did so. "You don't look to bad yourself." _You look so sexy. _

"Ready to go?" he asked, giving her a crooked smile. He tapped his watch. "Don't want to be late."

"Just let me grab my coat." She darted up the steps and threw open the door, grabbing her white sweater from the hook by the door. She grabbed her large messenger bag, not owning a purse. Oh well. She quickly locked the door, pulling it shut. Miriam was asleep in her room while Bob was 'out'.

"Such a gentleman," she laughed as he came around to open the door for her, helping her up. He slammed it shut, making sure it caught before heading to his own side. He jumped in, pulling his own door.

"As always," he replied. "Now let's get started." He turned the key, and the truck roared to life before sputtering out completely. Helga looked over to find him blushing furiously. "Sorry, let's try this again." He turned the ignition once more, but this time it didn't even both to turn over. "Third times a charm."

"If by charm, you mean not working, then yah," she pointed out as the truck responded in kind by not bothering to even attempt to turn on.

"Just…just give me a minute," the boy breathed, opening the door and sliding out of the vehicle. He fished beneath the seat and pulled out a dented toolbox while pulling something near the steering wheel that case the hood to pop. He walked around to the front, hoisting the hood up. Helga couldn't see what he was doing, but she could hear the clank of tools on the guts of the truck. "Can you slide over and try the key?"

She slid over, obediently giving the key a turn. The truck gave a dying sputter before going limp. After a few more minutes he called back, "Okay, again."

This went on for ten minutes before Arnold finally crawled back into the drivers seat, his sleeves rolled up and a bit of grease on one arm. He looked frustrated, so Helga kept her comments to herself for once as they began the bumpy ride to the restaurant. She knew there was no way they were going to make it in the six minutes that had before their reservation was given up, but she didn't want to give up hope. Maybe they could…when pigs flew.

* * *

"Sir, we're only a few minutes late," Arnold pleaded to the man at the counter. "Please."

The man glared over the podium. "Sir, we have a long list of people waiting to get in. You were told the rules of reservations when you called. If at least one member of your party isn't here by ten after the hold time-"

"Oh shove it fancy britches," Helga snapped, jabbing a finger in the man's face as she stepped up the podium. "We had a legitimate reason. Can't you squeeze us in?"

"That would not be fair to those who show up _on time _for their reservations," the man drawled, tapping the clipboard in front of him.

"I'll show you fair, you little-"

"Helga," Arnold said gently from beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Come on. Don't worry about it. I'll take us somewhere else."

"He didn't have to be such a pompous ass swipe," Helga muttered as Arnold gently took her hand a led her out of the door. She turned and stuck her tongue out before letting the door close behind her.

"Come on, there's some fast food place around the corner. We can get something to go and take it to the park and still have our walk," the boy suggested, smiling brightly. "Who wants to be inside some stuffy old building anyway?"

"Always Mr. Brightside," Helga responded, shaking her head. Her curls bounced lightly against her back, and Arnold gave a soft smile.

"You've really got this transformation thing down," he said with a small laugh. He gently released her hand, and she immediately missed the warmth.

"Transformation?"

"You can really soften up when you want. I mean, you're pretty all the time but you look really beautiful tonight," he said sincerely as he looked over at her. "Seriously."

_And there go my hormones,_ she thought darkly, quickly turning to direct her attention elsewhere. She was feeling quivers all over, her heart fluttering. It was unfair how he made her feel sometimes. Absolutely unfair how he could just disable her with words or a touch. "Thanks," was all she could manage, her voice sounding a bit strained as well as shy.

"In the mood for anything in particular?" he asked as the turned the corner and approached the familiar bright lights of the fast food places that lined the street. She spied the pizza place where they had frequented for carry out on weekends past.

"Pizza?" she inquired innocently, nodding her head in the direction of the building. "We could just get slices."

"You read my mind," he said with a laugh as they approached. He pushed the door open and held while she quickly ducked in. It had the familiar smell of tomatoes and garlic, and actually wasn't too busy. It would pick up later when the college students filtered in for beer and pool.

"Haven't seen you two in a while," the guy at the counter said with a grin. He was the owner's son, and he been their server the majority of the time they had come. "You guys look like you're spiffed up mighty nice."

"We had other plans originally," Arnold explained with a laugh. "But we just missed you so much."

"I figured. Secrets in the sauce," the guy laughed as he headed over to the register. "What'll it be you two?"

"Just get us a small supreme, Alex," Helga said with a shrug. "Wrap it up, it's going to be -"

"Carry out, got ya," he said with a smile. "Five bucks."

Arnold slide the money from his wallet, and the cash register made a tiny ding as the money was deposited. "Be right back with you guys."

"Want to get another picture?" Arnold suggested, nodding toward the old photo booth in the corner. Helga's hand immediately went to her throat, but she remember the broken locket still sitting at home.

"Sure. Why not? Memento!"

The two scrambled to fit into the booth, laughing and jarring each other until they were both squeezed in, exceedingly close. She could still smell his cologne and feel the warmth of his body against her, and it affected no less than it had the first time they had done this. She grinned widely as he fed the machine a couple of dollar bills. They posed in generic photo booth poses for their four pictures, the first being the typical funny face, the second flash capturing bunny ears, the third click finding them trying to block each others faces, and the last shutter invading on Helga shooting a bird while Arnold laughed. They fell from the booth in a fit of laughs, Helga grasping the perforated sheet and waving it a moment in the air as the pictures began to form.

"We're such idiots," she mused as she tore them apart, handing Arnold his hair.

"It's okay, we're each others' idiot," he responded with a roll of his eyes. He pulled out his wallet, tearing the strip of photos across horizontally, arranging his four photos in a square behind the plastic photo sheets in his wallet. "Safe and secure."

Helga flashed him a smile, and he returned it immediately, his eyes mischievous. For a moment, Helga felt like there were going to share a special -

DING! The bell was loud as Alex slammed his palm on it. "Order up, guys. Enjoy?"

"Thanks!" Arnold called, tearing his eyes from Helga as he went to retrieve the pizza. For a moment, Helga found herself pouting. Moment killer.

They walked the short distance with airy chit chat, sliding into the truck once more. It seemed to be in better spirits and drove smoothly to the park. It was a little past seven, and the sun was beginning to settle down in the distance. Arnold rummaged behind his seat and produced an old towel, throwing it over his shoulder. Helga retrieved the pizza box and enjoyed the warmth that is had on her arms. The air was cool, but not as chilly as it had been. The slushy snow how been cleared from the sidewalks, and they meandered around until the came to one of the picnic tables. Arnold used the towel he had to wipe the water from the seats, spreading it out for them to both sit on. "Sorry, I only have one so you'll have to sit next to me," he teased.

"Oh, the horror," Helga replied as she rolled her eyes, setting the box on the table. She flipped back the lid and settled in next to Arnold. They both chose a piece and began to eat in relative silence. After a few minutes, Arnold spoke up.

"I want to talk to you about what Rhonda said yesterday," he said quietly. Helga coughed, and Arnold's eyes widened as he inquired, "You okay?"

"Fine, fine," she assure him, gasping for breath for a moment before catching herself. She waved her hand for him to continued.

"Look, I know we don't really talk about this kind of stuff, but I just wanted you to know that's not what I'm looking for." He switched his slice between his hands, not meeting her eyes.

"Looking for what?" she asked slowly, focusing hard on her pizza as well. She tried to replay everything Rhonda had said in her head. Not looking to be a couple? She felt her chest tighten.

"The friends with benefits thing. I just didn't want you to get that idea in your head. I wouldn't treat you that way."

If she had been a flirty girl, she would have asked how he wanted to treat her, then. She would have asked what it was he _was_ looking for, then. Instead, she just blurted "You're not suited for that. You just aren't that type of guy."

"What type am I, then?" He turned to meet her gaze now, his voice a bit deeper and his eyes searching her face intently. In her daydreams, she would have thrown himself at her and they would have shared a passionate embrace. She would have said something like "you're just my type" in a seductive tone. But she was just a girl was had no real life experience in these situations, so she pulled a piece of pepperoni off of the pizza and tossed it lightly as his face.

"You're a guy with pizza on his face."

He closed his eyes and smirked, flicking the meat from his chin. "Clever, Pataki."

"Sunset." She pointed as the sun finally completed it's journey behind the hill. The streetlights flickered to light and Helga laughed. "Right on time."

"Did you feel that?"

"Feel what?" she asked, turning to look at him. She arched an eyebrow. It was then that a large rain drop splattered on her nose. "Rain? But it's snow season."

"Not anymore," Arnold said with a sigh as he pushed himself up and discarded the now empty pizza box. The rain began to come quicker, and Helga moaned as she felt her hair start to go limp around her. Arnold snatched up the towel and held it over their heads as it started to rain, the rain now coming in a torrent.

"Mother nature is a bitch," Helga muttered as they turned the corner. She could see Arnold's truck in the distance, and he released the towel as he fumbled for his keys. He fumbled to get her door open, the rain making the handle slick. He quickly helped her in before running to his own side. He cranked the truck up, turning the heat full blast.

Helga shivered as she leaned close to the vents. She caught sight of herself in the windshield, her hair a saggy mess that hung limply down her back and shoulders. Her mascara had smudged a bit and she looked like a trained wreck. The rain beat down heavily, rattling on the roof of the old truck. Arnold drove slowly, squinting his eyes to try and see better. They'd barely been riding for five minutes when a resounding 'pow!' filled the air. It only took a few moments of lopsided driving to figure it out.

"Really?" Helga cried, slapping her arms against the seat. "It would be a flat tire. What next, bandits? Thieves?"

"Changing a flat tire?" Arnold responded. He smiled, but she could tell it was more forced this time. She could understand that. Things just weren't going as planned. Once again, he turned and reached back behind his seat, pulling out a tiny jack. He reached down and pulled the tool box back out from under the seat. "I actually had thrown a tire in the bed earlier. I didn't take the time to attach it where it's supposed to go, but that works just as well. He quickly slipped outside, leaving Helga leaning back in the seat with her arms crossed.

"It was the first date," she complained to no one in particular. She whipped her head to the door beside her as Arnold pulled it open. He was soaking wet, his hair plastered to his forehead. His shirt clung to his body in a way that made her legs start to quiver.

"Helga, I hate to ask -"

"mhm," she responded dreamily.

"But we actually have a flat tire.. And we're stuck in pot hole."

"It's the tire in the pothole?" she said darkly, snapping back to reality.

"Would you mind?"

"Just let me take off my shoes." She slipped out of the heels, placing them in the seat. The ground was slippery with melting snow and dirt, and was becoming more slush with the added rain that was trickling around her feet. The ground was freezing, but she sloshed to the back with Arnold, who was already braced against the truck. "Just push with me," he said, his look apologetic. "Please."

She nodded, manning a position close to him. She heaved and pushed with all her might, but the truck didn't budge. She pushed her toes against the pavement as she pushed, cursing as the asphalt chipped away at her feet. "20 bucks down the drain," she hissed darkly.

They tried in various positions around the truck. Helga was wet, fuming, and frustrated by the time another truck finally came by. They managed to get the truck out, and the tired changed just as the rain slacked off. Helga had already resigned herself to the cab of the truck when Arnold crawled in sheepishly.

She glared at him across the seat. She knew it wasn't his fault, but here her hair was a flat mess, he feet cold and scraped by the pavement, her dress soaking wet, and she was freezing.

"I'll take you home," he said quietly. They didn't speak on the way home, and she slid out the cab before he couldn't come around the open the door. She carried her shoes in her hand, her bag slung over her other shoulder as she stomped up the stoop.

"Helga, wait!"

"What?" she sighed darkly, turning around to see him walk up the steps and pause on the one below her.

"I'm so, so sorry. Look, I had this all planned out. I was trying really hard to make sure things were perfect for you. I really wanted you to have a good first date…with me. Look, I understand if you don't want to do this again. I'm just really, really sorry." He sighed heavily, running his fingers through his hair as he did. He looked down at the stoop, his shoulders sagging.

"Hey," she said gently. "I actually had fun. I'll certainly remember it." She forced a laugh. "Thanks for taking me out. We should do it again."

"Really?" he asked, a bit skeptical.

"Really," Helga responded, shrugging. "After tonight, what have we got to lose?"

He laughed loudly, nodding his head. "I suppose you're right Helga. Night." He quickly stepped on foot on the step where she was, cupping her chin with one hand and placing a soft kiss on her cheek. "I'll see her later." He quickly retreated down the steps and jumped into the truck, waving as he roared off.

Helga wasn't sure how long she stood there in her dripping dress holding her shoes while her cheeks flamed, but she immediately called Phoebe once she stepped inside.

"How was it?"

"Perfect."


	18. Hakuna Matata

Alright, next outlined chapter! A bit short, but I cut out a chunk I didn't think was needed. Enjoy!

* * *

_"I'm a sensitive soul, though I seem thick skinned" -Pumba._

**Monday...**

"Alright, let's get this show on the road, I've got wrestling coming on tonight on Pay-per-view,and if I miss it, heads will roll," Helga barked as she slammed her books down on the table. After such a great weekend, Monday morning had sneaked up on her with a vengeance. Her alarm had gone off late, she had missed the bus, she'd left her English binder next to her computer along with her homework, and she'd skipped lunch because she'd forgotten her lunch money. To top it off, she hadn't seen Arnold during lunch due to his preparing the stage for the auditions today. She'd stalked her way there straight after the bell rang.

"Be patient, Helga," Arnold sighed from beside her, and she could tell he was trying not to laugh as he looked up at her from his chair. "We've got a long list to go through. Besides, I'm not making you help me judge."

"I know, I know," she continued to grumble, pulling back the plastic chair and falling into it. "But I can still get the extra credit this way rather than performing. And I'm okay with that."

"That the only reason?" he replied, flashing her a teasing smile. She glared.

"Shove it,burgomaster."

"Sorry, sorry," he said, raising his hands in surrender before opening the binder he had on the table. It was filled with blank sign in sheets to fill in as they went along as well as the sign up sheet that had been posted in the hall. Every line was filled with name, plus extras written in the margins. This might take a while. Helga found herself groaning and it hadn't even started yet.

She heard the door in the back of the auditorium creak as it was pushed open, and she glanced back to note the crowd of people coming in. She whipped her head back around, leaning on her fist, her elbows on the table.

"Helga, you don't have to do this."

"Shut up, I'm having the time of my life."

Arnold chuckled, shaking his head. "Whatever you say Helga." He pushed back his chair and stood, picking up the cordless mike that had been resting on the table. He clicked it on, tapping to make sure it was on.

"Uh, hi everyone. If you could just-" But no one was bothering to listen. They were all laughing and talking, some texting and others drinking yahoos even though the sign outside strictly forbid anything but water in the room.

"Everyone, if you could just-" he began again, not bothering to resist when Helga grabbed the mike muttering "Oh give me that" under her breath.

"Everyone!" she bellowed,the speakers reverberating her voice effectively. Everyone stopped to stare. "You need to get to this table and fill out a form if you're going to be making a fool of yourself on stage." No one budged. "I didn't mean next week!"

The group started to surge forward, stumbling over each other in a frenzy.

"And you!" she added, pointing at the kid who was still leisurely drinking his soda, "Cap it and put it away, or I'll shove it so far up your -"

Arnold quickly reached out and clicked the mike off, giving her a concerned look as she continued to seethe.

"Helga, are you okay?" he asked gently, reaching out to gently touch her shoulder. The concern on his face was evident as he scanned her face. Helga found herself sighing deeply as she leaned her head on the table. She didn't bother to pay attention as people quickly scribbled on their forms before going back to take seats in the auditorium. Arnold was giving out random 'thank yous' and 'no problems' for a while before turning back to Helga.

"Something you want to talk about?" It was gentle, and it made her guilt churn.

A majority of it was directed at just how bad the day had gone in general, true, but the main reason behind her day was her parents. They had finally settled their differences. And by differences, she meant Miriam had finally brought up the issue of divorce to Bob, then she had been reduced to an even bigger mess than her usual self. And Helga understood, at least part way. She knew why the woman who held the title of Mom had finally set her foot down. There was only so much humiliation a woman can take,so many put downs and bruises. Last night had been utter chaos, and she had been a coward through the whole thing, hiding in her room talking to Jace, who knew what it was like. His decision on who to stay with had been simple, but hers not so much. She really want to talk to Arnold about it; to just peer into his big green eyes and let him hold her.

"Just a case of the Mondays," she forced, giving a weak smile. "Can we start this or what?"

For a moment, he just stared at her. She knew he wasn't convinced of any of this, but he just nodded and switched his mike back on. "Alright guys, let's get started. First up, Rhonda."

Helga groaned loudly and laid her head on the table. It was going to be a loooooon afternoon.

...

She'd been right, the afternoon had been long as well as awful. She'd watched Harold almost choke himself as he tried to eat twelve hotdogs in under a minute, Rhonda do what looked a failed attempt at ballet, listened to Stinky and Sid sing "My Bonnie has Tuberculosis" (which had been pretty funny, and Arnold had agreed, but they couldn't sing it in the actual show), Eugene did a great rendition of 'Defying Gravity', and then there had been a slew of sucky acts she didn't bother with remembering.

Arnold had to go turn the sheets in to the talent show adviser, and he'd refused Helga's attempt to help. He told her to go ahead and get home and watch her show and to get some rest, promising to text her after. She wasn't going to argue with him seeing as how he absolutely right, as usual. She'd gathered her book and trudged toward her locker to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything. She didn't need any more stress at the moment.

Helga frowned as she noted the paper taped to the locker nearby. Not this again. She pulled it down, smoothing open on her binder that she held.

_"Geraldine:_

_I think you may remember that you owe me a report. After all,I'm creepy and all I do is stalk your life as my link to the outside work._

_James."_

She rolled her eyes, quickly doing the combination on her locker and shoving in some extra books before digging a pen out from the bottom of the locker. She scribbled back:

_"Creeper James:_

_I thought it wasn't your business. I don't have to report my doings to you at all. For all you know, I had wild,passionate sex...okay, no, I didn't. But I had a great time. Get your own off._

_Geraldine."_

...

Helga awoke Friday morning tired and frankly exhausted. She'd been exceedingly happy that they had the Friday off due to furlough days. Unfortunately, Arnold would be busy most of the day help his grandpa do some cleaning at the boarding house, so she'd only see him at Jeanne's party. The idea made her gag just thinking about it.

The house was quiet, as it had been the past two days. Miriam had gone to stay with a friend (Helga didn't know she had any) and Bob had slunk of to his mistress's house, no longer having to hide it. Miriam, in a rare moment of sobriety, had knocked on Helga's door before she had gone, giving Helga a stiff hug and giving her instructions to be careful and have fun over the weekend. She'd be back Sunday, and they'd try and talk this through. Helga had kept her arms at her sides, not hugging back. She had simply nodded.

She slid out out the bed, not bothering to change out of her tattered batman sleeping pants and black shirt. She took the steps two at a time, rounding the corner and heading to the kitchen. It was only 8:30, but something about staying by herself made her want to explore the house in quiet, even before the city started to really wake. She started a pot of coffee and was trying to find something edible in the fridge when a loud knock came out the door. Helga straightened quickly, confusion on her face as she slowly walked to the door. She knew it wouldn't be Arnold. Maybe it was Bob. She unlocked the door, taking a step back quickly.

"Hello?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. It took a moment before recognition began to set in and she said with breathy excitement, "No way, Jace?"

The boy on the steps flashed a cocky smile. "The one and only, babe! You going to let me in or do I have stand out here and freeze my ass off? What kind of hospitality is this?"

Helga laughed, ushering him inside. She quickly closed the door, turning to face him. All she could mange was "wow" as she stood, brushing her hair back from her face.

He was tall, almost towering over her by a head. His hair was glossy and fell to his shoulders in loose waves, framing his angular face and dark eyes. It matched well against his broad shoulders and fit frame. If he had wanted them, he could have girls lining the block.

"Do I smell coffee?" he asked, brushing past her toward the kitchen. She followed him in, going to the cabinet and getting down two mugs as well as the powdered creamer and sugar.

"What do you want in it?" she asked as she fixed her own. "Sorry, I was just going to have cereal, and I really don't have any food to offer you. I wasn't expecting you today." She was slightly embarrassed, knowing she looked like crap.

Jace shrugged as he took a position beside her to fix his coffee. She was ecstatic about how easily they seemed to settle in with each other.

"What? I've been driving since seven this morning and you can't even feed me?" he teased dramatically as he rolled his eyes. "Seriously though Hellie, are you alright? You know, about the divorce." He didn't beat around the bush.

Helga sighed as she sat down at the table, wrapping her hands around the mug. "I guess I knew it would come eventually. He and the other woman weren't bothering to be sneaky anymore." She shrugged helplessly.

"At least it wasn't anything to do with you," he said a little bitterly as he sipped his coffee.

"Did you see your dad?" she asked hesitantly.

He made a mix between a groan and a sigh. "Just briefly. Not that he said much to me, and I'm fine with that. As soon as the words 'Well if it isn't my queer son' left his mouth, I left the house. That's also why I'm here early."

The two sat in silence, sipping coffee for a moment before he blurted out, "You know what? We should go grocery shopping if you have no food. We can make ourselves a fabulous brunch. Whatcha think, Hellie?"

"I'm broke!"

"Broke, hah. I 'borrowed' my dad's credit card on my way out. He owes way back pay on my child support."

Helga knew she shouldn't laugh,but she couldn't help it.

"Seriously. But you have to change, I'm not going out in public with you like that."


	19. You've got a friend in me

I know you guys were hoping for a better encounter between the two parties, but that comes in a later chapter XD I promise.

A/N: I noticed that after this chapter, I lost a few 'favorites' on this story. I don't mind this, as it is your choice and opinion, but if there was an issue with the chapter, would you please just drop me a note? I'm just curious as to why the sudden dislike.

* * *

**"Curiosity often leads to trouble."- Alice; Alice in Wonderland **

Helga sat on the bed, running her brush through the tangles in her hair as Jace stood in her closet doorway, a hand on his hip as he used his free one to push clothes around.

"Hellie, seriously? You have an alarming number of old jeans and graphic t-shirts. Is there really nothing else in your wardrobe?"

"Nothing else I want to wear," she retorted, shielding her face with her arm as he pelted a pair of dark jeans and one of her few plain t shirts at her. It was simply blue and black plaid with buttons down the front. She fingered the clothing in her hands, glancing up at Jace, who had moved on to her bookcase and was now examining the contents.

"Do you mind?"

"Not in the least," he responded, leaning over to look at the middle shelves. After a moment of silence, her turned to look over at her. She frowned at him from the bed, pointing at the doorway. "Oh come on. Seriously?" he whined, pursing out his lips.

"Seriously Jace." Helga arched an eyebrow as she slid off the bed and strode to the door, opening it and pointing out onto the stairs. She copied his pursed lips, narrowing her eyes as if daring another challenge.

"You'll have to get over this, you know," he muttered with a glare as he strode over to the door, sticking his tongue out at her before exiting the room.

Helga shook her head, closing the door and quickly stripping out of her pjs. Maybe when they eventually starting rooming together, but certainly not right now. She redressed herself quickly and pulled on her old sneakers as she sat on the bed, pulling the laces tight as she tied them. Her hair didn't look too bad, but she still opted to pull it back in a low ponytail before deeming herself presentable enough to go out in public.

"So that's Olga?" Jace inquired as she soon as she stepped out of her room. He was pointing to a picture on the wall that depicted Olga's graduation.

Helga just nodded, sliding past him and continuing down the stairs. "Miss Perfect herself." Talking about family matters was not her favorite topic at the moment. She grabbed a coat from near the door, then held the door open for Jace, who quickly stepped over the few steps with his long legs.

Helga pulled the door shut tight, making sure it was locked tight. She gave it a tug to be sure.

"Get in loser, we're going shopping!" Jace called, pulling open the passengers side door of the car, waving at her to get in. It was an older model mustang, a deep metallic blue.

"Really?" Helga replied with a laugh as she slid into the seat, fastening the seat belt. She pulled the door shut as Jace slipped into the driver seat.

"We need to watch that movie, I swear," he said, not really acknowledging her laughs. "Do you have it?"

"No."

"Just another gift my dad will buy for me then. Oh well." He shrugged, starting the car up and pulling out into the street.

"Maybe I should be driving," Helga commented as they approached the first stop sign. "Since-"

"Nonsense! Just scream directions, I can use a blinker. Besides, there is dead traffic here. I've got it covered."

"If you say so..."

A few missed turns and curse words later, they arrived at their destination: the large store where she had purchased the Disney movie that had started the whole thing. She smiled as she stepped out of the car, shaking her head. How much things had changed since then.

"You guys not have a mall around here?" Jace asked, shielding his eye as he took in the building. He looked almost despondent. "You really buy everything here?"

With a roll of her eyes, Helga dealt him a blow in the arm. "We have a mall, goodness. It's just easier to buy the movies here with groceries."

"I get that. I was just making sure!"

She shook her head, shoving her hands in her pockets as they made their way to the door. It was still relatively early in the day, and the parking lot was maybe only a quarter full just yet.

Jace latched onto a buggy as soon as they entered the store, giving it a strong push and riding it back over to where Helga was waiting,arms crossed. "I'm not even gonna."

"Don't be jealous Hellie, you can ride in the childrens' seat." Jace grinned widely, warranting a glare as he patted the little plastic seat.

"I'll have to pass."

"Spoil sport."

"Bite me."

"No Bella!"

The laugh escaped her before she even had a chance of holding it in. "Fine! You win this round!"

"Expected. So I'm totally thinking for our meal here: bacon, eggs, toast, waffles, pancakes. Whole nine yards. And we need really expensive coffee," he said a bit more seriously, ticking items off on one hand as he used his other to push the cart.

"You really need all of that?" Helga replied, raising an eyebrow. Her stomach immediately gave a rumble, remembering the breakfast she'd had with Arnold and his family. Plus, she was just plain hungry.

"I'll be spending the night, don't you remember? Oh,I guess that means we're going to need three days worth of breakfasts, two lunches, and two dinners. This should be fun." A devilish grin spread over his face as he he thought about it. Helga knew she should feel a little guilty, but from what she knew of his dad, he'd just get over it. He hadn't bother to keep in contact with Jace from what she knew. Besides, food was essential. Not like they were out buying TVS and computers.

"Don't forget snacks," she reminded, pointing as they passed the cookie aisle.

"Beeline!" He jerked the cart down the aisle, and Helga took the sharp turn as well. In a matter of no time, the cart was filled with popcorn, cookies, chips, and sodas. Bacon, eggs, milk, and other various breakfast fixings took up one side of the cart, whereas pizza materials, pasta, and meat took up the other side. Helga figured there was no way they were going to be able to eat it all, but it certainly looked like she'd be eating better than she had in months, it seemed.

"We're set! Except for the movie," Jace observed as they leaned over the cart, shifting items around.

"Yep. I say we'll gain a few pounds." Helga grinned widely as she straightened up, leaning on the cart as she peered over at Jace.

The boy grinned back, pushing some of his hair back behind his ear. He smiled back playfully. "I can't lose my figure," he joked.

"It's okay, someone else will find it."

Amidst their own laughing, she heard a familiar voice from nearby. She whipped her head around to see none other than Arnold standing a few aisles down, nodding his head and laughing with an older woman she didn't recognize.

She stiffened a bit, panicking, and Jace cocked an eyebrow as he took in her expression change. It took just a moment to register on his face, but he immediately leaned away from Helga.

"Is something-?"

"Hide!" she hissed, quickly taking the cart and running across the center aisle separating the clothes section from the groceries. Jace stumbled after her, yelping a bit as she grabbed his collar and swung him behind a clothes rack.

"The hell?" he blurted, shooting her a confused look as he straightened his shirt. "What's going on?"

"It's Arnold," she moaned, placing her palms to her temple as she began to panic. Arnold couldn't see her with Jace for multiple reasons. For one, she needed no one to know him at Jeanne's party. If Arnold saw them together, he'd know when he saw them in the restaurant tomorrow night. Worse, he might assume she had a guy on the side. How could she explain spending the weekend with a another guy to Arnold? She'd never thought about mentioning to him at all. She bit her lip, her thoughts rushing.

"Jace," she began, "He can't see you-!" The boy shushed her immediately with his hand. He had pulled his hair back and gave it a quick twist, stuffing it up in a rather awkward looking green beanie that had been on display. Some sunglasses were stuffed in the wrong spot, luckily, and he slid them on as well. A display of large, puffy winter coats was a few racks down and he strolled over and slipped into one that was many sizes to large. He gave her a thumbs up from his position.

"Helga?"

"Arnoldo!" She blurted, trying to keep in her surprise as she turned to face him. He had a few bottles of cleaning solution in his arms, trying to keep them from falling. He gave a hesitant, but genuine smile.

"Hey Helga. How are you this morning? I'm surprised you're up!" She noted his eyes darting quickly to Jace, who lounging a little too casually on a clothes rack, and then back to Helga.

"Doing good. Just getting some groceries. Um, for the weekend," she said with a gesture to the items in the cart. "Thought I'd get an early start."

"Wow," Arnold appraised, raising his eyebrows as he took in all the food.

"I'm having a friend over to stay," she confessed. It wasn't a total lie anyway. "Since everyone was busy this weekend." Helga caught herself from using 'you'. She didn't want him to get the idea that everything was about him...although, most of it was.

"Oh, that sounds fun," Arnold replied, his face brightening as he understood. "Sorry I couldn't hang out today." A quick adjustment to get a better grip of a falling bottle. "I'm glad you found some plans, though. Anyone I know?"

"I doubt it," she said with a somewhat forced grin. She could see Jace pretending to scan clothes in her peripheral vision.

"Oh, well. You guys have fun, though. I'll call or text you later, okay? I've really got to get all this stuff back home. Surprising how dirty some of those unused rooms can get." He rolled his eye, smiling. "I'd love to meet your friend. Later Helga."

"Later!" she called, waving as she watched him continue on his walk to the registers. After she was sure he was a good distance away, she released a heavy sigh and leaned on the buggy.

"Why can't I know him? He's cute," Jace blurted in her, causing Helga to jump back.

"Don't scare me like that," she scolded, placing a hand over her heart. "Goodness."

"So-?" he pressed, fluffing his hair as he placed the beanie back on the rack. He'd already discarded the jacket.

"Remember how I need you for a favor? Well, I need you to kind of crash a party. A party he's sort of hosting. And I don't want him to connect it to me."

Jace nodded slowly, looking thoughtful. "Okay then. And why am I going to party crash?"

"Because that's Arnold, and the girl that the party is for is a certified bimbo Barbie!" Helga snapped out the sentence, and Jace's mouth formed and 'o' at the name Arnold.

"I get it now. Okay. So, what am I supposed to do at the party?"

"We'll discuss it later. Come on, let's go find the movie and eat," she muttered, taking the cart and stalking off.

* * *

"So let me get this straight," Jace clarified as he stood at the stove, stirring the pot of spaghetti sauce. They'd come home and unpacked all their groceries, and Helga swore she couldn't remember the last time they'd had this much food in the house. Breakfast had been delicious, and the two had then settled in with the batch of movies they had bought, talking and catching up and things that just don't always clarify over a computer. Helga felt her stomach growl at close to seven, and they had migrated back to the kitchen. "Jeanne is a slut cake. She's using Arnold. You want me to use my dashing good looks and charm to destroy her party."

Helga rolled her eyes as she spread butter over the bread. "I just want you to do something to get the attention off of her. Or just embarrass her. I'm being petty, but I don't care." She stabbed a piece of the bread loaf with her knife,rubbing her hands on a napkin near the sink.

"I can do that." He gave a nod, thinking. "I can come up with something, I'm sure. I mean she's never really done anything to me-" Helga growled. "buuuuut, ya know, you're my friend. I like you better."

"As you should."

Jace just chuckled as he removed the noodles from the stove, draining them in the sink.

"So you're doing culinary school, right?"

He nodded, brushing back some lost strands of hair that were being assaulted by steam. "Yep. I had a tough choice decided between that art, as you remember. But I decided on culinary. I'll still paint on the side though."

She nodded, stepping aside as he assumed his position back in front of the stove. He looked focused, but happy.

"Did you do any of your scholarship searches yet?"

"Just a few," Helga admitted, getting one the sodas from the fridge, leaning back against the door. "I don't know if my writing is good enough to get me any."

"You're writing is flawless," he complimented, flashing her a quick smile before going back to work.

"I wish." She rolled her eyes as she took a sip of the soda, pushing herself up and plopping down at the table. Helga had tried to help cook everything, honestly, but the only thing he'd allowed her to do was the bread. In a way, it was good to be waited on, but still felt a bit rude.

"So guess what out dinner conversation is going to be?" he said perkily as he laid her plate in front of her.

"Celebrity haircuts."

"Arnold."


	20. A Girl Worth Fighting For

Hello again. So sorry on the delay, as always... *sigh* So for those still around, we'll be wrapping up before too long!

* * *

**_"Ladies don't start fights, but they can finish them"- Marie, The Aristocats._**

"It feels like I've been sleeping on rocks," Jace whined, rolling over from were he had crashed the night before on the floor of the living room. He moaned as he stretched and sprawled out across the floor. Remains of popcorn kernels and soda cans were littered around him amidst DVD cases.

"That because you've been sleeping on the remotes and God knows what else, genius," Helga muttered, snuggling down deeper into the pillow on the couch. Just as she was settling back in, the heavy plastic of the remote made contact against her head. "Dammit Jace!" she snapped jerking up into a sitting position and rubbing the back of her head. "I was trying to sleep." She grimaced, gingerly fingering the spot on her head. Shooting a scowl at him, she swung her feet around to the floor. "Jerk." Frowning, she wrapped the blanket tighter around her as she scanned the living room. It was a mess.

"Oh come on now, It's already past nine," Jace replied calmly, running his fingers through the tangles in his hair. "We've got a long day ahead. There's breakfast, showers, shopping, lunch, and then preparing for the party-"

"Wait, why are we going shopping?"

"Well, to buy clothes for the party of course. I take it you want to be there. You can't casually walk in there and claim to Arnold you just felt like getting a bite to eat in the particular restaurant that you know he's hosting a party at. Honestly." He shook his head, looking at her like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Helga bit her lip, running her fingers through her hair as she thought it over. Okay, true, she hadn't thought about that part. He couldn't see her there and not connect her to the event. She'd be suspicious if the tables were reversed. "So I'll text him and tell him I'm going shopping out of town and going to watch a movie. Good enough?"

"Fabulous. So, hey, you never answered if you two were dating?" he inquired curiously as he meandered over into the kitchen. "We're going to have omelets and bacon, okay?"

"No, we aren't," Helga admitted a bit grumpily as she shuffled across the floor to the kitchen with the blnaket still wrapped around her, plopping down in one of the kitchen chairs. Frankly, she felt like crap after eating so much popcorn and downing soda till about three in the morning before passing out. She'd fallen asleep in her clothes, not to mention her hair looked like a very awful rendition of Medusa. She moaned, rubbing the heel of her palms against her eyes. She pulled them down to see Jace eying her warily from the stove.

"Maybe you should go ahead and take your shower, Sleeping Beauty."

* * *

Breakfast had been delicious, as expected. As they had, they'd concocted an odd list of things to get at the mall. Jace had decided if the plan was to draw attention from Jeanne, they might as well do it in awesome, brand name clothing that was downright sexy. He'd also assured Helga she'd need a wig. She'd eyed him with disbelief until he waved her off, assuring her that's what hair stores were good for. They had walls of wigs she could choose from. She'd also be getting new shoes, a dress, and just from the kindness of his heart, Jace was going to get her eyebrows done and her hair trimmed for split ends. She'd started to protest furiously, but Jace paid her no attention as he made his way up the stairs and gestured to the dishes in the sink. Grumbling, she filled the sink with sudsy water and scrubbed them harder than normal.

Just as everything was being dried and placed back in its home in the cabinets, Jace emerged from the bathroom looking already ready for a runway show in his leather jacket and dark jeans. As per yesterday, they filed into the car and set off for their destination with Helga barking directions and pointing vigorously at stops signs and one or two wrong turns, they arrived at the mall relatively unscathed. However,trying to search for a parking spot in the packed lot had been another story. Jace's knuckles were white against the steering wheel, his lips pursed out at his drew a deep breath in through his nose.

"It's not my fault you can't follow directions," Helga stated coolly as she slipped out of the car, straightening her faded black jacket. It was slowly starting to get warmer outside he past few days, and the parking lots was starting to turn to slush. She shoved her hands in her pockets, crunching the half melted snow as she walked across the parking lot toward the towering building. She could hear Jace closing his own door behind her, his footsteps quick as he caught up to her.

"You are a bit high maintenance. In case you weren't aware."

She rolled her eyes, not bothering with a reply as she pulled open the door to one of the department stores. Inside, music filtered down lightly to compliment all the immaculate displays of clothing set up neatly around the store. Girl her age and older were milling around, giggling, and not looking the least bit out of place like Helga was feeling already.

"Soooo, what? Dress now?" she inquired with a shrug, looking over.

"Hair and brows first, then we'll backtrack," Jace responded, tapping where the hair was growing back in on her forehead. She growled, but looped her arm through his when he offered it to her. The mall as busy, as it was Saturday, and saw lots of familiar faces in passing. After waiting a few moments for her personal shopper to scan the directory, they were off to the small salon mixed with make-up counter.

"Hello, hello! How can I help you?" a bubbly young woman chirped from behind the desk. She eyed Jace approvingly, but her smile faltered when they reached Helga. She was torn between giving her the figure or picking her nose, just for dramatic effect. Instead, she popped a large bubble with her chewing gum, giving the dopiest stare she could muster.

"My friend here," Jace explained, "Needs the works, if you'd be so kind. Brows, hair, face. You've get the picture."

The woman nodded, her smile plastered back into place as she led Helga back to a salon chair. As Helga leaned back, the woman placed a small towel over her shoulders. "Ever had your brows waxed, sweetie?"

"No, I just use a razor. It does the job pretty well."

"Well, this might hurt a bit. I'm going to fix where your growing back in the middle here and add some definition and shape to the brows. Okay?"

"Okay, yeah, whatever." How bad could it be?

Pretty bad. "Criminey woman, did you rip off my skin?" Helga cried as the first strip was ripped. It felt like the very skin had been pulled off her face.

"No skin, just...hair. See?" The woman wiggled the strip in front of Helga's nose before throwing it away. "Come on, just one more to go."

Helga gripped the arms of the chair as the wax was applied to the rest of the brows. "You are so dead," she snapped at Jace, who laughed from his position in a chair across the room.

"Jesus Christ!"

"All done with your brows," the woman said a bit frostily as she dabbed something cool against Helga's skin. Helga heard the woman being turned on, feeling the elastic being removed from her hair.

"What now?"

"Just a little rinse," the woman assured her as she began to run the warm water over Helga's hair. The usual small talk took place, and Helga was soon placed in a chair with a cape placed on her. "So, how are we cutting it?"

Helga opened her mouth, only to be interrupted by Jace. "Trim the ends, and Im thinking let's throw in a few layers. How long do highlights take you? Full foil."

"Highlights?" Helga squeaked. "But it's my hair!"

"And it's just so plain. Relax, Hellie."

"About an hour and a half," the woman replied thoughtfully. "I'm not super booked today, so I can get those in for you."

Releasing a groan, Helga slumped back. This was going to take awhile.

About two hours later, Helga was plopped down at the make-up counter wit her hair now looking silky and full of volume as it fell in, now highlighted, curls over her shoulder. Jace had opted to pay extra for the styling. His dad was going to faint when his bill came in.

"You know," Jace mused as he looked her over, his finger tapping his chin. "You hair looks so good right now,you may not even need the wig. It looks almost nothing like it did before."

Helga frowned. "I liked it like it was before, buster." She actually hadn't gotten much cut off to be honest, but she was still a bit bitter over the whole situations. She fiddled with the zipper of her jacket as different woman made her way over to where Hegla sat at the counter.

"Hello! So you're interested in a make-over?"

Before Helga could respond, Jace had already nodded, turning her chair so she was directly in front of the woman. Crossing her arms, she shot daggers at the brunette as she pulled out different tubes and brushes. "What sort of look are we going for, miss?"

"Lets keep this a toned, but still sultry evening look."

"Jace!" Helga snapped, leaning over to punch him in the shoulder. "Criminey. Do you want to be the one getting the make over?"

"Sorry, sorry," he apologized, shushing himself. "I'll just wait over here.

So for the third time since being in the salon, she braced herself.

* * *

They walked in silence down the little tiled walk area, mainly because the look of intense concentration on her companions face was a little off putting. They'd made their way back the department store, and she'd had a few looks she'd never gotten before tossed her way as they continued. Jace assured her she looked fabulous, but she really didn't feel like herself. But she guessed that was the entire point of the evening.

"That's what we're looking for!" he finally blurted out, grabbing her hand and causing her to stumble, breaking her thoughts as he pulled her into a section loaded with cocktail dresses. There were racks and racks of different colors and cuts. It was immediately off-putting.

"I don't know about this," she admitted, peering around the section with wide eyes. Awkwardly, she began to rub her hand up and down her arm. Part of the reason she didn't wear dresses was due to how tall and gangly she was. She hadn't filled out like the health classes has promised. She was all sharp angles and bad eyebrows. Well, now just sharp angles.

"Nonsense!" Jace replied, already leafing through dresses. "What are you, a six?" He turned to eye her curiously.

"I couldn't tell you," she muttered, watching as he piled dresses over his arm. She followed him aimlessly as he held up dresses, either nodding assent or no as he moved. After combing through the entire section, they'd narrowed it down to about six different dresses she would be trying on. She'd said the purple one was fine, but he'd shaken his head, saying they'd all look different once she put them on. After a sigh, she stomped into the dressing room to begin the agony. The first one she'd fought her way into was a simple black dress with a plunging neckline and a snug waist. Jace shook his head no immediately.

"Not right."

"Oh come on!"

"Nope. It's not snazzy enough."

"Snazzy my ass," she snapped as she slammed the door. They went through a failed purple number, two blue ones that didn't meet standards, and a failed orange one. The last one would have to be it. Please.

She wiggled her way into the red fabric, taking a moment to struggle with the zipper. She dared a glance in the mirror before walking out. The reflection she saw made her do a double take. She wouldn't have believed it was her if she hadn't been the one wearing the did a quick twirl, feeling pretty good about it, surprisingly. It was a snug dress and went to just above her knees. She was tall enough where it accentuated her legs nicely. The bust had sweetheart neckline and small pleats, which helped to make her average bust look, well, not so average after all. Her new hair and make-up made her look like a completely different person.

With a sigh, she opened the door, pleased to see Jace's face light up. "That's perfect!" he breathed, reaching out to adjust the straps of the dress. "You have a figure now! Turn, turn! This is perfect. We're going to need to get you some black heels and you'll need sunglasses, of course. And your hair just looks great. You look absolutely beautiful!"

Helga shook her head as he continued to babble. Closing the dressing room door, she quickly slipped out of the dress and into her own clothes, clutching the dress and its hanger to her chest as Jace collected the rejects, slipping them back on the extra hangers.

"Come on, onto the shoes."

"Aren't you getting some clothes?" Helga inquired curiously as the started back across the section.

"Sweetie, really?" He paused to gesture at his own outfit. "I think I'm set. This trip is solely for you."

"I would have said no if I knew that!" she protested hotly. "I don't need all of this."

"That's why I didn't tell you," he groaned.

"Well, I don't-" she began, her words falling flat as she glimpsed a familiar shade of hair bobbing through the section. "Jeanne," she growled hotly.

"Where?" Jace asked quickly. "Which person?"

Helga pointed fiercely. They peered over the dress rack, Jace shaking his head. "The little tartlet."

"Tartlot?" Hegla repeated, quirking a brow.

"You know, a harlot and a tart combined. That dress she's look at is hideous. I hope she buys it."

"Come on, let's just go check out. She can't see us," Helga hissed, grabbing him by the sleeve and dragging him across the store to the customer service counter. "You don't have to buy this," she said quietly, fingering the material of the dress. "I've probably-"

"Helga," Jace interrupted seriously, placing a hand on her shoulder. "It looks perfect on you. Consider it a gift from me to you. You deserve it."

"On your dad's credit card."

Jace chuckled, pushing some hair back from his face. "Look, I'll use my debit card for this. Just think of it like this, okay? You'll owe me enough favors to even out the dress when we start rooming together, deal?"

"Deal."

They arrived home later than expected, but with an hour to go before Jeanne's party. They'd made a quick meal, and the time was ticking down. Thirty more minutes. The dress was laid neatly across her bed, the new shoes they'd also gotten sitting neatly beside it. Helga could feel her nerves fidgeting, and her conscious was trying to decide if she should go through with the plan or not. If Arnold found out, he'd be furious. If he didn't, she get what she would Arnold still be mad? She groaned, covering her face with her hands.

"Hey, you alright? Come on, get dressed."

Taking a deep breath, she took the dress and shoes in her arms and walked the shirt distance to the bathroom. It took no time to change, and she was soon back in her room for inspection. A pair of large, dark sunglasses were added along with a black choker and a black clutch Olga had sent her for Christmas. She'd shoved it in drawer of her desk, wondering when she was ever going to use the stupid thing. But getting ready was done too quickly, and she was surprised to find they were already outside the familiar eatery. Inside, she could see Arnold catering to some of the girls, who obviously weren't being the least bit polite.

Taking a deep breath, she slipped out the car feeling like a completely different person. She would not let Jeanne get away with mooching off of her beloved.

"Ready to make an entrance?" Jace inquired with a smirk.

"Let's do this," she replied. She adjusted he sunglasses before taking his arm and tossing her hair over her shoulders, walking in like she owned the place. She immediately heard the hush fall over the conversations of the tables near the door. Jeanne's party was about two tables away, and she caught the look of shock and disdain on Jeanne's face.

"Guys," the redhead laughed a little too loudly. "Seriously. We were talking about how he was totally out to get me."

"Who is that?" One of the girls was muttering. Some of the other girls were pointing and giggling, ignoring Jeanne's attempts to regain the center of attention. But the best look of all was Arnold's,who was staring to intently he didn't realize that the tea he was refilling for Jeanne was starting to flow onto the table.

"Arnold!" the girl screeched, jumping back from the table. "My dress!"

"Oh, I'm sorry! I'll - let me get some more napkins!" he fumbled, tripping over her chair.

"Can I seat you two?" came Donnie's voice from the counter. Helga drug Jace up to the counter where she leaned over and pulled her sunglasses down enough to wink.

"Hey buddy."

"Helga!" Donnie choked in a whisper. "Is that really you?"

"In the flesh. Seat us next to the smashing party guests."

Donnie merely nodded, handing her some menus. "Just let me-"

"We'll take it from here! Thanks!" She quickly gave him the thumbs up before sashaying over to quickly sit at the closest empty table. She propped her menu up in front of her face, nodding. "Showtime," she mouthed.

Jace nodded, casually putting down his menu and pretending to peer around the restaurant. He locked on Jeanne and quickly jumped up from the table, covering the short distance to where Jeanne was.

"Oh gosh, miss," he began in an obnoxious voice. I really hope that's just your drink."

"Ugh, yes," she whined. "It just spilled, and-"

"I'll help!" he chirped, snatching the napkins from the lap of the girls closest to him.

"Excuse me-?" she replied incredulously, pausing the dabbing of her dress.

"They say club soda helps get out stains. Anyone drinking soda? Ah," he speed talked, grabbing a cup from across the table. He quickly poured a bit onto the napkin and began to scrub furiously as Jeanne's dress, who was too shocked for a moment to do anything. After regaining herself, she quickly pushed him away. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"Helping. Hey, don't we know each other?" he asked casually, plopping down to share a seat with the blonde sitting on Jeanne's left.

"No! I've never seen you-" she started.

"Yes we have. Don't you remember? You were in chess club and had braces. You used to pick her nose a lot too," he mused, contorting his face in disgust. A slight giggle was rippling across the table.

"No!" Jeanne hissed, stomping her foot. "I never did that stuff. I don't know you."

"You had a crush on, what's his name, the one with the buck teeth and hook nose? He was devastated when you moved here,ya know. And there was that time in middle school when you peed in the bushes next to the school, and the cop saw you," Jace continued, ignoring Jeanne's looks of confusion and embarrassment.

Helga couldn't help giggling from behind her menu. She never actually ordered, Donnie just always brought her the usual. Spaghetti and I cup of chocolate mouse. He had just placed them on the table, and was enjoying the show thoroughly. The accusations were getting wilder and wilder, and thanks to Helga providing facts like her name, when she moved here, and a few rumors, it was obvious the other girls were pretty keen on believing what he had to say. Jeanne's denials were just adding fuel to flame. This went on for a good five minutes before Arnold arrived back at the table, stack of napkins in hand. Helga noted he'd actually been watching from the distance for a few minutes, trying to asses the situation.

"Hey, would you mind?" Arnold said calmly, tapping Jace on the shoulder. "It's kind of her birthday party, and we're just-"

"Oh, it's your birthday!" Jace jumped up, cleared his throat, then began the most horrible rendition of Happy Birthday. Helga almost choked on her food.

"Thanks, but could you please let us get back to our party. If you don't mind."

Helga recognized the look and tone in his voice, and Jace seemed to as well and slunk back over. However, most of his work had left a lasting effect on the girls from what they could tell.

"Good job," Helga praised.

"Of course," Jace replied, taking a fork and digging into her plate.

"Would you mind finding the waiter and getting us a desert menu?" Jeanne asked Arnold, dancing her fingers up his arm. "Please and thanks."

As soon as he was out of earshot, she groaned. "He is such a dunce sometimes."

"Oh come on, he's cute. And he threw you this party."

"Yeah, you're right. He's a sucker for my pout. I can get him to do pretty much anything for me I think. Homework, keeping notes for me in class, this party. I bet if I wanted to date him, I could get him in no time flat." She drummed her fingers on the table.

"You don't want to date him?" asked the blonde next to her.

"Ugh, of course not. He too much of a goody two shoes for me anyway. And he's taking forever. I mean, he's sweet and all, but I don't go for that type. He's just good to have around to keep me occupied."

The entire conversation, Helga had felt her face boiling. Jace eyed her apprehensively as she pushed herself from the table, her rage making her hands tremble. With a grin, she delicately took the mouse cup in her hand and stepped over to the table where she proceeded to dump the entire cup onto Jeanne's head.

The girls scream reverberated around the room as she whirled on Helga, nostrils flaring. "Why did you do that!?"

"I thought you wanted desert," Helga replied coldly, taking a handful of the goop from Jeanne's hair and smearing it over all over her face and the front of her dress. "There," she continued, "Now you match your personality. Ugly. And you would never deserve him." Tossing the cup down, she marched out the door.


	21. Once upon a Dream

Okay, a bit of explaining is in order for this story. Frankly, I am no longer proud of this story. I lost site of it a few chapters back, which accounts for my slow updates. However, I couldn't let my biases prevent me from finishing this story. Some of you have been with me since I started it years ago, and it would be selfish of me to not finish it. This chapter is a little short, and I'm sorry about that. I wanted this to end on this tone, and the next chapter will be the last and final chapter. it may end up horribly long, but I think it's time to finally wrap up this story.

So thanks for the ride..it's been swell.

* * *

**"Sometimes the right path is not the easiest one." ~ Grandmother Willow; Pocahontas**

"What did you think you were doing?"Jace whined, his voice a high pitched annoyance in Helga's ears as she scrubbed the make-up from her face in the sink. "I'll admit, though, the look on her face was pah-riceless."

Helga didn't bother to give him a response, her actions already playing on repeat in her head. She'd run straight to his Jace's car, demanding he take her home when he'd run out after her. He had done as she asked without fight, but now that they were in the safety and privacy of her home, he'd been pestering her nonstop. So maybe she had reacted a little harshly, but Jeanne had deserved every bit of what she got. She scowled, scrubbing harder to get the mascara from her eyes. The mask she had on wasn't her, and she could never be that person. She was gruff and overreacted, and that wasn't going to change. The swirls of color disappearing down the drain gave her a sense of relief, plus over exposure.

"Come on Hellie, let me in. Are you okay? We could just talk about it. Talk to meeeeee."

"That wasn't the plan," Helga snarled, jerking the door of the bathroom open. She took a step back as Jace stumbled forward in surprise at his shoulder rest being moved away. "I originally wanted to make her jealous, then I got petty, and instead embarrassed her and it…well it just got out of hand. If Arnold finds out, I'm so dead," she moaned, covering her face with her hands as she leaned back against the bathroom counter.

"Speaking of dead, he's texted you like three times since we got home," Jace admitted, wiggling her cellphone in her face. "I kinda sorta may have peeked. Just a smidge." He smiled sheepishly.

"What did he say?" Helga squeaked, snatching the phone from his hands. She hastily scrolled through the texts, groaning as she read the messages to herself. "He says I'll never believe what happened at Jeanne's party, and wants to know if he can stop by to talk about it since it got cut short early. What do I even say?"

"Say no! Tell him you have cramps and blood is spouting from your vagina like the hallways in the Shining. He'll recognize me!" Jace panicked, clenching his fists as he spoke.

"That is digusting!" Helga retorted, contorting her face in distaste as she pushed passed him in her rush down the hall to her bedroom. She didn't want to lie anymore, did she? Maybe if she just came clean now, he'd only hate her a little bit. Or she could just hide in her covers and never speak to him again. Little sounds of worry kept squeaking through her lips as she shirked the fancy dress, slipping into her gym shorts and a t-shirt. "This was a stupid idea," she grumbled.

"You'll have to face him sooner or later, I guess," Jace said, leaning against the doorframe to her bedroom. "I'll just, you know, hide in the closet or something," he suggested, shrugging.

"I know," Helga whined, plopping down on the bed. "Toss me the phone," she instructed, pointing over to her vanity. Jace picked it up, coming to sit down on the bed as he handed it to her. "I guess I'll tell him I'm sick, and maybe he won't stay very long," she muttered aloud, punching in the message and hitting the send button. She held her breath until it showed it had gone through, then rolled over and buried her face in her pillow. She let out a small whimper, feeling the bed move as Jace sat down beside her. She could feel him start to rub her back, trying to soothe her.

"It'll be okay. W hat's the worst that could happen?" he asked. "So maybe he'll be really upset if he figures out it's you cause that would be a waste of his money and planning, but oh well. I mean, it's not like he'll just ignore you or anything.

Helga let out a pitiful wail into the pillow. The two both stiffened at the sound of the doorbell echoing through the house.

"What, was he just sitting on your steps? I'll just wait up here. Go go go. Wait, look at me," Jace babbled, latching onto her arm as she was about to exit the room. "Let me see your sick face." Helga didn't have to do much pretending, her stomach was already twisted in knots and her nerves were awful. Jace nodded his head in approval. "Good enough." Helga nodded, jumping up from the bed. She yelped as Jace grabbed her arm, pulling her over to the vanity and thrusting a brush in her hands. "Okay, so I'm an idiot….he's going to notice the hair." He grimaced apologetically.

Helga snarled, quickly jerking the brush through her curls and pulling her hair into a sloppy bun. Maybe he wouldn't notice. Oh please don't let him notice.

Taking a deep breath, she made her way down the stairs, trying to take her time. When the doorbell sounded again, she added a tiny burst of speed to her walk. She paused when she reached the door, her hand hovering over the doorknob. She gave in, jerking it open like ripping off a Band-Aid.

He turned to look at her, his face concerned when he caught sight of her. She really must look bad.

"You want something?" she asked, milking the silk aspect. She dropped her gaze to the steps.

"Oh wow, you don't look good at all! Have you eaten anything?" he began to babble, holding up a small plastic bag. "When I got your text, I stopped by the deli on the way. I got you some chicken soup."

"Oh, uh, thanks, you didn't have to," she replied, her eyes widening. "I don't need it."

"Oh, well, I guess you can put it in the fridge. Soup always helps when I'm sick."

"Oh…."

"Um, can I come in?" he finally asked, nodding his head toward the living room. "Oh, oh yeah. Sure. Come on in." She stepped back out of the way, allowing him to step inside. He weaved around her, making his way to the kitchen and opening the fridge. He pushed some of the food around to make room for the soup, saying nothing as he closed the door and turned to look at her.

"Thanks for the soup," she said sheepishly, rubbing her hand over her arm as though she were trying to sand it off. The way he was looking at her made her feel uncomfortable. Her gaze fell to the floor once more.

"Do you have anything else to say to me?" he prompted gently, crossing his arms over his chest. She felt her guilt flare up immediately, and she bit down on her lip. Did he know?

"What did you have to tell me?" she asked instead, sitting down on a chair at the kitchen table. She traced imaginary shapes on the wood with her finger. She didn't look up as she heard him pull back the other chair. She could see his hands on the table, but she couldn't even make herself look at his hands.

"Jeanne's party turned out to be a disaster. Some strange guy showed up, totally embarrassed her in front of everyone. Then a beautiful girl in a red dress covered her in chocolate mousse, which caused Jeanne to go hide out in the bathroom before storming out." His laugh sounded forced. "Weird huh?"

"Totally," Helga replied, forcing herself to look up this time. She tried to make herself look surprised, as though she had no previous knowledge of these events. "How strange."

"You want to know what was really strange?" he asked, locking his gaze with hers. She felt her palms start to sweat, so she dropped them to her lap.

"What?" she asked slowly.

"That you couldn't just tell me about your problem with Jeanne."

You could have heard a pin drop. Helga felt her cheeks grow warm, opening and closing her mouth as she floundered with what to say. "I don't-"

"Helga, please don't sit here and try to lie to me," he said with a pained expression. "For once, you could tell me the truth. Why did you do that to her? And to me?"

"I never said it was me!" Helga retorted instinctively, wanting to desperately to run up to her room and hide.

"Do you want me to bring up how I know it was you?" he said with a bit of anger this time. "Do you need to me to embarrass you like that just to get you to tell me the truth? I'm trying to give you a chance here, Helga. Take it. For God sake, take it. Why did you do that?"

"I…I didn't do anything," she sighed. She really wanted to tell him, she did. It was right there in her mouth, waiting to come out. But the words just wouldn't actually come out. It was like an invisible barrier inside of her was mangling the words and sending them out all wrong. How could she tell him she did it because she was furiously jealous of Jeanne, and how she was using Arnold? Could she say it was just her protective instinct? Could she really tell him she just wanted to make Jeanne look bad in front of him? What if this led into a confession? She couldn't do it.

"Okay," he muttered, and the disappointment in his tone was like a shot straight to her heart. She watched as he pushed the seat back from the table as he stood up. "Okay then." He dropped his arms heavily to his side. She sat up proudly as he walked past her toward the door. She waited for the sound of it to open, surprised when it never came. She stood up hastily, surprised to find him still standing at the entry way to the kitchen.

"What?" she said a bit stiffly.

"Look, I heard what Jeanne said about me, though. I really wasn't as far away as she seemed to think I was. I did things for her out of kindness, and she took my kindness as a sign of naivety. I guess she thought I was doing it all because she was pretty, but that's just the person I've always been. I look for good in people, and I wasn't so stupid as to believe she genuinely liked me. But, I also heard what you said." He held up his hand to shush her as she opened to mouth to protest. "And though I thank you for sticking up for me, maybe you should reevaluate who needs to think those words over. I expected everything Jeanne did because I know she's that kind of person. I used to think I knew what kind of person you were, and I never thought it was a liar. But you know what? I guess I am naïve. Night, Helga."

She couldn't bring herself to say anything as he walked out, pulling the door shut with a gentle click behind him. It was strange how such a tiny and normal gesture hurt her like it did. He'd shut the door on her. He'd closed the door on Helga Pataki, and he wasn't going to come back.

And with nothing else to lose, she sank down to her knees and cried.


End file.
